Echoes
by Lletya
Summary: As they wait for a delayed flight, sisters Rosalie and Alice strike up a conversation with a man named Jasper. As he talks about his long time partner, Edward, the sisters end up completely entranced by the man's stories of life, love, and loss. Edward & Jasper, Human
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**Rosalie's PoV**

_This area is for loading and unloading only._

"I know already, shut the fuck up!" I yelled into the air. If I heard that recorded bitch one more time I was going to explode.

"Calm down Rose!" My sister Alice was far more patient that I could ever hope to be.

I turned with my hands on my hips and watched and she leisurely made her way over to where I was standing. Could she be any slower?

"Alice, I wouldn't be surprised if they were all off of the plane by the time we get there. You could stand to move a little bit faster."

Two weeks ago, my husband Emmett and Alice's fiancé Jake had gone to California. Jake hadn't told his parents that he was getting married and wanted Emmett to go with him for "support." I'm still trying to get Emmett to tell me what that really meant. Apparently, Jake thought that his parents would be appalled at the idea.

Regardless, Jake's parents were absolutely thrilled and were on a plane back here with the boys for the wedding this coming weekend. I didn't know why Alice and Jake chose to have such a short engagement, but I didn't really care.

What I did care about was the stupid woman telling me where I could and could not unload.

"Rose, we barely managed to get to the airport because of the rain. Do you really think the plane is going to be able to land in it?" I hated it when Alice had a point. I ignored her and made my way over to the five hundred blue screens that showed the scheduled arrival time of each flight.

"Are you fucking kidding me? The flight's delayed!" I turned to Alice. Her hands were folded across her chest and she had her "I told you so" smirk plastered across her face. If we weren't in public, she would have gotten my "shut the fuck up" fist right in that stupid face.

I gave her a look that I thought would get the message across nicely. She just shrugged and started walking over to the chairs. I followed behind her and took a seat in a relatively secluded area. The only one here besides us was a middle aged man who seemed content to stare out the large windows.

I tried to stave off my boredom by playing with my phone. It worked for what must have been almost a full minute. I put my phone down and watched the people walking by, silently judging them. What? Don't act like you've never done it before.

I noticed the man sitting near us get up and check the arrival screens. I couldn't have been sure, but it seemed like he checked the same one that my oaf of a husband was coming in on.

Desperate for any way to rid myself of this boredom, I decided to chance it and start up a conversation with him.

"Hey, are you waiting for the delayed plane from California too?" I silently prayed the answer would be yes just so that I could have someone to complain with. Even if that someone was significantly older than me.

"That I am," he said with a warm smile. "My partner is on that flight."

His manner of speaking seemed odd. Who called their wife a "partner?" I was just about to open my mouth and probably say something either stupid or offensive when Alice chimed in.

"Oh, what's his name?" Alice asked excitedly. This girl could get so excited over the silliest things. I debated telling her that she shouldn't just assume he's gay, but then I decided to wait and see how she squirmed out of this one.

"His name is Edward. We've been together for almost twenty years now," he replied, maintaining his warm smile. I was glad I didn't say anything because I would have sounded like an idiot. I suppose that manner of speaking isn't too odd now.

"Wow that's so exciting!" Alice was practically bouncing in her seat now. Ever since Jake proposed to her, the very mention of anything resembling marriage put her on a sugar high, no sugar needed.

"My fiancé is on the flight with his parents for my wedding this weekend," she continued. "I can't wait! Would you tell me how you and Edward met, um…"

"Jasper," the man replied as he held out his hand to her.

"I'm Alice, and this is my sister Rose," she told him. "Her husband Emmett went with my fiancé for 'support.'" She added emphasis to that last word and giggled as I rolled my eyes.

"So tell us how the two of you met!" I almost wanted to slap Alice for being so annoying, but at the same time I figured a story might be a fun way to pass time.

Jasper smiled and leaned back in his chair. He had a twinkle in his eyes as he began to tell his story.

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

I loved Friday nights. I also hated them. My dorm building was located in the middle of the college campus, and that apparently made it party central. I didn't mind the occasional party, but I wasn't overly fond of the fact that there seemed to be one every night.

My roommate Sean was famous around here for throwing the wildest parties. Tonight he had convinced the dorm advisor to let him use the dorm's rec room for his party. He had turned twenty one a few weeks ago and made sure that everyone knew it. If a party didn't have enough alcohol to open up several alcohol shops, that it wasn't a party to him.

"Man I can't wait to get these girls drunk," he said to me as the first guests arrived. I rolled my eyes and tried to change the subject. Every time he started talking about hooking up with a girl he would inevitably start hounding me about why I didn't have a girlfriend. When I shrugged the question off, he would start telling me about how he could teach me how to talk to women and help me pick a few up.

Truth is, I didn't like women. I was more into, I suppose that is… Fine, I'm gay. But if you tell anyone I'll deny it. No one in the world knew. Not my parents, and not my friends. I put on quite the act when it came to flirting, but I didn't enjoy a second of it. I did it only to stop any rumors that might start about my sexuality.

"I'm good man, thanks though," I told him, hoping he would drop the subject. He looked like he was about to say more, but quickly got distracted when two girls walking in wearing nothing but… yeah. Thankful that he had left me alone, I turned my attention back to the TV. I wasn't sure what was on, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hear it when more guests started arriving.

"Damn, they're not interested! Just gotta wait until they drink some more." Sean had made his way over to where I was seated and sat down, sulking.

"What happened?" I asked, feigning interest. I knew exactly what happened. As usual, he came on too strong and got rejected by the "not drunk enough" girls, as he called them.

"This is your fault. You should've been my wingman," he muttered. I turned my head to give him an annoyed look. That's when I saw _him_.

I stared at the doorway with my mouth still slightly open from preparing to tell Sean off. Standing there was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. His bronze hair was arranged in a somewhat unruly way across his head. He wore a black collared shirt which fit his body perfectly; I could almost see the lines of his athletic body beneath it.

And his eyes. His eyes were colored with a shade of green so deep that not even the most magnificent of forests could rival it.

He was talking to the two girls that had accompanied him. As they walked in, his eyes caught mine and for that brief moment, my entire body felt like it was on fire. Every cell in my body came alive for the first time and I never wanted that feeling to end. But as quickly as he had looked at me, he looked away.

"Aww, I know that look," Sean said, breaking me out of my trance. I blinked a few time before I regained my composure and gave him a questioning look.

"So which girl is it?" He began pointing out each girl and asked if she was the one that I had stared at.

I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but apparently I hadn't regained as much of my composure as I thought I did. My head was spinning and I couldn't think straight. And all because some guy looked at me.

While pointing out girls, Sean apparently realized that there were quite a few he wanted to "talk to" and left the couch. I sat with my head in my hands for a few more minutes when I felt the couch shift, indicating someone had sat down on the other end. I groaned inwardly and hoped that whoever it was didn't try to talk to me.

"Looks like you're having a blast right now," I heard the person say. He had an almost melodic voice, one that I could listen to for days and not grow tired of. I looked up, prepared to respond with my own sarcastic comment. Once again, I was left speechless.

The beautiful man had come here to sit next to me. He actually _talked_ to me. I remembered to shut my mouth this time, but I couldn't break my gaze from his eyes. All time seemed to stop and I lost track of the people around me. It felt as if we were the only two people in the world.

All too soon the man looked away, a slight blush across his cheeks. Though I couldn't have imagined it possible, he looked even more beautiful now. I realized then that I had been staring for far too long and seemed to have embarrassed him.

"Um, sorry, I'm just a little preoccupied with something right now. I'm fine," I told him, desperately hoping that he would say something, anything. I just wanted to hear his voice. I wanted this gorgeous creature to talk to me again. "I'm Jasper."

I held my hand out for him and had to fight off a grin when he moved to take it. "Edward," he replied, the blush leaving his face.

The moment he took my hand, it felt as if fire was rushing through my fingers, blazing past my hand and up my arm. I jerked my hand back slightly, unable to handle the sensation. Realizing that I had been rude, I quickly said "Sorry, static." That was the dumbest excuse I could have thought of, but at least it was one.

He didn't seem to mind and we continued to make small talk. I wasn't normally this quick to warm up to a person, but I did everything I could to keep this conversation going. I couldn't get enough of hearing him talk.

While it took everything I had to portray myself as an outgoing person, Edward seemed completely at ease during our conversation.

"So um," Edward began, running his hand through his hair. Not fair, I wanted to do that. Er… nevermind.

It was the first time in the conversation that he appeared to be uneasy about something. I simply watched and waited for him to continue.

"Were you waiting here for your girlfriend or…" he trailed off, shifting his gaze down to the floor. I wasn't sure why he was asking, but didn't see the harm in answering truthfully.

"No, I'm here by myself, why?" I thought I saw his lips quirk up into a smile but I wasn't sure. I still hadn't figured out why he had asked me.

"Then I was wondering if…" He paused again, unsure of himself. But at that moment I finally realized where he was going. This time I broke away from his gaze and looked at the floor.

Despite the party raging on around us, we were in a quieter part of the rec room. I said in a low voice that was still loud enough for him to hear, "Edward, don't."

"Don't… what?"

"Don't finish what you were going to say." I knew that I wanted him, badly. But I also knew that I couldn't handle it. Being with a man? That concept alone was weird enough for me. I didn't think I could handle a relationship, not when I hadn't even come out to anyone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought that…" Edward ran another hand through his hair and looked at the ground, the blush returning to his face. He looked dejected, and I hated that I was making him feel that way.

He murmured another apology and started to get up. My hand shot out of its own accord and held his arm. He looked at me questioningly.

I didn't know what I was doing. This whole prospect scared me. I didn't know how to deal with any of it. But what I did know was that I couldn't let this man walk away from me. I felt something between us and I didn't want to lose it. Not yet.

"I'm sorry Edward, please don't leave," I said, trying to hide the desperation in my voice. "I just, I can't…" I didn't know how to explain to him exactly what I was feeling.

"Hey, come with me," he said as he got up. I didn't know where he was planning to go, but I knew that I would follow him anywhere.

With the party in full swing, no one noticed as we slipped outside. We walked along the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes. I tried and failed several times to figure out what to say before I decided to just let it all out.

"Edward, I've never done this before," I told him. For the first time in my life, I was going to lay all my cards on the table. "I've never been… in a relationship before. I've never even told anyone that I'm…"

"That you're gay?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," I said quietly, thankful that it was too dark out for him to see that it was now my face that was turning red.

"Why not?"

"I guess I'm just afraid of what people will think," I answered truthfully. "I don't want to deal with having to worry about people judging me for that. It's easier to just pretend."

"Is that what you want though? To live life pretending to be someone you're not?"

"Of course not. I just don't know what to do."

Edward stopped walking and sighed. I turned to look at him, and was, for the umpteenth time tonight, left speechless. The street light illuminated him just enough for me to make out the portrait of perfection standing in front of me.

"Then let me be your test subject," he said quietly.

I blinked a few times while trying to understand what he was telling me. "What?"

"Give this," he motioned between us, "a chance. See where it goes. If you can't handle it, you can break things off at any time."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. He was willing to be nothing more than an experiment for me.

"W-why?" I managed to stammer out. I couldn't understand what he stood to gain from such an arrangement.

"Because I think that there's something here. From the moment our eyes met, I've felt it. I've never felt something like this before and I don't want to ignore it. So if that means I have to be just a test for you, then I'll take what I can get." His voice was strained as he spoke the last few words.

To say I was speechless now would be an enormous understatement. I closed my eyes and thought hard about what I was getting myself into. When I thought I had my answer, I shifted my gaze back to him. He was looking away from me and he shivered slightly. My first instinct was to hold him close and warm him up.

At that moment, I decided to throw caution to the wind. Whether or not I wanted to admit it, I wanted this just as much as he did. For once in my life, I was going to take a chance.

"Let's do it," I said with stupid grin. Edward looked at me with a shocked expression, then returned the smile.

"Then, there's something I've kind of wanted to do all night," he said as he looked up at me shyly. Having decided not two minutes ago to throw caution to the wind, I decided to go with it.

"And what's that?"

He grabbed my hand and let me behind whichever building we were standing in front of. It was dark out and I didn't see anyone else, so I didn't freak out on him.

He backed up into a wall and pulled me close to him. My breathing hitched when I realized just what he was planning to do. It was as if time was moving in slow motion. He slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around my neck. He pulled me towards him until our faces were just inches from each other. He stopped and looked into my eyes, asking for permission.

Instead of waiting, I wrapped my hands around his waist and closed the remaining distance.

The feeling of his lips on mine was unlike anything I could have imagined. My entire body was on fire as I held the man standing in front of me.

The kiss itself was chaste, but full of emotion. All too soon he pulled away from me, gasping for breath, and just smiled. I pulled him into a hug and rested my head in the space between his head and shoulder. I didn't know just what was going to come out of this, but I did know that I wanted to find out.

"Wanna get back to that party now?" The little fucker was full on smirking now. I won't lie though, it was sexy as hell.

As we walked back to the party, Edward maintained a certain amount of distance from me. I realized that he was giving me the time I needed to come to terms with the situation. He had every intention of keeping up the facade of us just being acquaintances until I was comfortable with more. Although I didn't say it, I was truly grateful for what he was doing.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**

**Rosalie's PoV**

Jasper's story fascinated me. I found myself hanging on to his every word as he told us about meeting the love of his life.

As he and Alice made small talk I walked over to the arrival board to check the status of the flight. It was still delayed for at least a couple hours. I huffed and made my way back to my seat.

"Looks like we're gonna be here a while," I told them. Alice just shrugged and Jasper glanced out the window. "So Jasper, got any more stories for us?"

He turned back to me and smiled.

"What would you like to hear next?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**Rosalie's PoV**

I thought about it. What did I want to hear from Jasper next?

"You mentioned that you weren't really too comfortable being open about your sexuality," I began, trying to figure out exactly how to phrase my question. "Didn't that get in the way of having an actual relationship with Edward?"

Jasper chuckled, "All the time. In fact, I kind of ruined our first date because of it."

Alice practically jumped out of her seat, "Oh my gosh the first date! Tell me about it!"

I rolled my eyes at her eagerness, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested as well.

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

Edward and I had been "dating" for two weeks now. I mean, if you could call it that. As much as I hated myself for it, I still couldn't even be the least bit open about our relationship. Edward didn't mind. Most of the time.

Sean had tried to drag me to a party last night, but I faked being sick until he agreed to go without me. The second he was gone I invited Edward over.

We hadn't kissed since the night we met, but that was mostly my fault. Edward had definitely tried again, but I always pushed him away. He tried to hide how much it hurt him, but I could see past it. Even when we were alone, I had this irrational fear that someone would see if I kissed him again and that was something I couldn't handle. I was beginning to wonder if this arrangement really was a good idea.

While we were talking last night he started whining about how we never had a first date. I cringed at the thought of being in public with my… boyfriend? I didn't think I had the right to call him that. Not yet anyway. I tried to talk him out of it; I even tried to insist that the night we met could be considered out first date. But he wasn't having any of it. He wanted to go on an "official date" and no amount of protesting was going to change that.

I sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was already past noon and I had just gotten up. Edward and I had stayed up until four in the morning just talking. Sean stumbled back in around three but I knew him well enough to know that I could have had ten guys in here with me and he would've been too drunk to notice. I wondered briefly how he managed to get back here but figured one of his friends from the party brought him back. He was still sprawled out across his bed and I was in no hurry to wake him.

My thoughts went back to Edward's mention of a first date. I could tell by the way he talked about it that it was something that was really important to him. I'd never done anything like this before; I didn't even know where to start. But the one thing I did know was that this was something he really wanted, and I was going to do my best to make sure he got it.

Sean started to stir in his bed and an idea came to me. I considered myself a fairly intelligent man, but when it came to matters involving… well, anything to do with relationships, I would gladly defer to Sean. Against my better judgment, I decided to ask him for some of his incredible wisdom.

"Hey Sean, get up," I said, throwing a pillow at him. He raised his hand and flipped me off, rolling over on his other side. "Come on Sean, I need your advice."

As I expected, he shot up and stared at me. He loved giving advice, especially on topics he knew nothing about. But in this case I was hoping that my issue would be somewhere in his area of expertise, however small that area may be.

"And what can the great Sean help you with, o needy one?"

"What do you do on first dates?" I felt like an idiot. What twenty one year old didn't know that?

"No way! Did wittle Jasper finally find someone to go on a date with?" Sean had been trying to set me up with a girl since we had become roommates. I wonder what he would think if he knew that this wasn't for a girl at all.

I gave him the best death glare I could muster. His laughing must have meant it was working right?

"I'm kidding dude. Is it for that guy that was here last night?"

What. The. Fuck.

"W-what are you talking about? You were drunk, don't make up things and try to pass them off as true." My voice was shaking and even someone who knew nothing about the situation could have been able to tell I was lying. But I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't ready for anyone to know, let alone my roommate.

"I wasn't drunk last night man."

He was lying. He had to be. I watched him nearly fall on his face trying to get into bed. "But I saw-"

He cut me off. "I didn't drink much because you weren't there to drag my sorry ass back home. I unlocked the door and opened it and heard you talking to someone. I thought it might be a girl but then I heard a guy talking. After a couple seconds I figured it out and pretended to be drunk so you wouldn't get weirded out. I fell asleep on the spot anyway, I didn't hear much."

I was past freaking out now. I jumped out of bed and ran out the door, grabbing my shoes on the way. I heard Sean calling after me but I didn't care. I needed to get out of here now.

I left my dorm building fuming, and desperately needed an outlet. I practically ran over to Edward's dorm room and pounded on the door.

Edward opened the door and greeted me with his breathtaking smile. I momentarily lost track of what I was doing but quickly regained my composure. I pushed past him and walked in.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I felt his hand on my shoulder as I leaned over his desk. I felt the warmth and comfort that only came from his touch, but I didn't want comfort right now. I turned and swatted it off of me, ignoring the hurt expression on his face.

"Sean knows," I seethed out.

"Sean knows what?" Edward was hurt and confused, and I wasn't even thinking clearly enough to feel bad about it. He should feel bad. It was his fault anyway.

"He wasn't drunk last night. He knows about us." I turned to look at Edward.

He grew a little wide eyed and sat on the edge of the bed and watched me, staying silent. I grew angrier with every moment that passed by. I wasn't sure what I expected from him. But I needed _something_.

"Fucking say something," I practically yelled as I threw my hands up in the air.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Because I'm not sorry that I spent time with you." Edward maintained a look of defiance mixed with something else that I couldn't quite place.

"If you weren't there he wouldn't have fucking found out! It's because of you that he knows!" I knew I wasn't being reasonable, but I didn't care.

He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. I almost felt bad seeing him curled up into a little ball, but I was still incredibly angry.

"What did he say to you?" I heard Edward ask quietly. I had to think for a moment before responding.

"I asked him this morning what you're supposed to do on a first date and he asked if it was for you. He told me that he wasn't drunk last night and figured out what was going on."

"Was he mad?" I could hear his voice straining and I could tell he was on the verge of tears.

"Well… no he didn't seem mad. He sounded like he was just asking and then I left before…"

Fuck. Sean hadn't said one word to indicate that he wasn't okay with this, and I got angry about nothing and took it out on Edward. It wasn't his fault at all. It was my fault for being a fucking idiot.

I sighed and sat down next to him. I felt a pang in my chest as I heard him crying.

"Fuck babe, I'm sorry," I said as I wrapped my hand around his shoulders. "I shouldn't have taken that out on you, it just caught me off guard and I freaked out."

He stopped crying after a minute but didn't move. He remained in his balled up position and didn't even cuddle up into me. I never imagined that something could hurt this much. My boy was right next to me hurting and he wouldn't let me help him. Serves me right though.

"Edward, I'm sorry, please talk to me," I begged. I couldn't take the silent treatment from him.

"Jasper, I'm trying to be patient but I can't handle you acting like this from just one person finding out." His voice was still strained and it killed me to know that I was the cause of it.

"I…" I didn't know what to say. I knew he was right but I wasn't ready to come out and tell the world yet. As much as I was trying to work on it, the thought of being judged for that was something I wasn't ready to deal with yet.

"You don't have to go and tell everyone, but please talk to Sean about it. If he had a problem with it, he would have brought it up right away."

I thought about it for a moment. I guess the hard part was out of the way since Sean already knew. Whether or not I talked to him about it wouldn't change that. And since he didn't seem to have a problem it yet, I really didn't have anything to lose.

"I will, I promise. Forgive me?" I added a pout to the end. I mean, that worked with girls, so that should work on him too right?

My momentary panic was brought to an end when Edward leaned in to me and sighed. We stayed in that exact position for the better part of an hour before my phone rang.

"Aren't you gonna get that?" Edward asked as he reached around me to try to get the phone in my pocket.

"Don't wanna," I murmured as I tightened my grip on his shoulders. Sitting here like this with him felt so right, I didn't ever want to let him go. It wasn't until I felt him tense up in my grasp that I pulled away to look at him.

My phone had stopped ringing by now but Edward handed me the phone to show me that it was Sean who called.

"You should talk to him," Edward said quietly as he looked down at the floor. I knew he was still feeling a little uneasy from our fight earlier.

"Hey, look at me," I told him, lifting his chin up so that I was looking directly into his beautiful green eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but the look in his eyes left me speechless. I couldn't quite make out what I saw in his expression. It was the same thing that I saw when I walked in earlier. I'd have to ask him about that.

Before I was able to say anything else, Edward cut me off by gently brushing his lips across mine. I moved closer to deepen the kiss but he pulled away from me and put a finger on my lips.

"Later, after you talk to Sean okay?" He asked slyly.

I knew what his game was. I knew he was trying to bribe me into talking to Sean. I don't like being played. Too bad I wasn't thinking with my brain at the moment.

I readily agreed after a few minutes when I realized that I wasn't going to get anywhere with my pouty faces. We made plans to see each other the next day. As I walked back to my dorm room I prepared myself for the most difficult conversation I was ever going to have.

As I climbed the stairs to my floor I silently prayed that Sean wouldn't be there. I turned the door handle to find it unlocked, indicating that the universe hated me, as usual.

As soon as I opened the door, Sean got up from his desk and walked up to me. He had a concerned look on his face.

"You alright man?"

My nerves had gotten the better of me and I was unable to do anything but nod my head. I pushed past him and flopped down on my bed, just wanting to disappear. "Let's get this over with."

He sat down on his bed and faced me. "Get what over with?"

I gave him my death glare and he chuckled. Clearly that look needed some work.

"Jasper, I don't care that you like guys."

"But…?" There's always a "but" isn't there? I waited while he looked at me with a confused expression. I was ready to yell at him for lying to me, but I quickly remembered what happened just an hour ago when I jumped to conclusions.

"But nothing man. That's it."

This was too good to be true. My roommate, who had probably slept with enough girls to fill a small country, was okay with me being gay?

"I don't understand," I said, sitting up now.

"What's not to understand? You love who you love, I'm not gonna judge you for that."

I searched his face for any signs that he was lying to me, but all I saw was complete sincerity.

"So, what's this about a first date?" Leave it to Sean to completely change the subject. I told him that Edward had wanted to go out on an "actual date" and we ended up discussing ideas for hours. He eventually had to go meet up with some people and I was left alone in my room.

I thought about asking Edward to come over but I needed some time to myself to think. I couldn't believe how smoothly the conversation with Sean had gone. I always thought that if he found out, he'd hate me. I just assumed that he would end out friendship on the spot. I never for a moment expected him to be so… accepting.

For the first time in my life, I started thinking seriously about telling my parents. I knew all too well that my parents weren't the most open minded people around, but today's events made me realize that I didn't want to live a lie anymore. I always felt like I had to act and I was tired of being someone I wasn't.

I decided I'd talk to Edward about that too.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**

**Rosalie's PoV**

I had never really thought about how hard it must be for a person to tell the people they're close to that they're gay. I mean, I never really saw it as a big deal. But then again, not everyone thinks the same way.

"So where's Sean now?" Alice asked. She had been on the edge of her seat during the entire story.

"He moved to Texas a few years ago. We keep in touch though; he has remained one of my best friends over the years," Jasper answered with a smile.

"I don't see how you could have gone on a date with him with the kind of mentality you had," I told him, crossing my arms. I suppose my comment might have been rude, but let's face it; he was kind of a jerk to Edward.

"Oh yeah you didn't get to the date!" Alice practically screamed.

"It wasn't the most… pleasant experience, I'll admit to that," Jasper said with a chuckle. He looked out the window and I followed his gaze. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, and what was just light snow earlier turned into a near blizzard.

He turned back to us and said, "Well, it most certainly looks like we'll have time for that story."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

I was having a heart attack. That had to be what it was. I could barely breathe and my heart was pounding out of my chest.

"Dude, calm down!" Sean put his hand on my shoulder in a vain attempt to calm me down. "It's just a first date."

I gave him my best attempt at the new death glare I was working on. He rolled his eyes and sat back down at his desk. One day. One day I will perfect the death glare.

I wasn't going to do anything over the top, just take him out to what I hoped would be a romantic dinner. It wasn't the date itself that was making me nervous; it was the fact that I would be in a public place with my… boyfriend. I wasn't ready to go public with that yet. I didn't know how I was going to get through this.

I sat down on my bed and went over my mental checklist one more time.

Flowers? Check. I didn't have the first clue how I was supposed to act in this relationship so I decided to just go with what I would do if I was dating a girl. Yeah I know that sounds wrong but it's all I got.

Reservations? Check. Double check. Triple check actually, and the woman I spoke to at the restaurant told me that if I call again she would cancel the reservation.

Nice clothes? Fuck if I know. Sean had picked out what I should wear.

He had me put on a dark blue button up shirt, saying it made my eyes look brighter. He paired that with dark blue jeans and nothing in the way of accessories, spouting off some nonsense about it "polluting" the look. I was beginning to wonder who the gay one was here. I suppose there's a fine line between knowing what someone looks good in and what other people think they look good in. What? I don't even know what I just said.

I looked at the clock on my desk. Less than half an hour until I was supposed to pick him up.

"Hey Sean. Am I supposed to go to his room and get him or can I just call him and tell him to come outside?"

Sean burst out laughing and I gave him my death glare for a fraction of a second before realizing it would be ineffective anyway.

"Dude, just go with your original plan. What would you do if he was a girl?"

"Fuck, so I gotta drive there and go up to his room too?" I wasn't so much annoyed at the prospect of going to get him as I was at how clueless I was.

"Well hey, if you can't be bothered to go and get him then maybe he isn't worth it."

"Fuck you," I told him before adding a quiet, "Of course he's worth it."

I picked up my phone to call the restaurant again but thought better of it. At this point I honestly believed the woman when she threatened our reservations.

"I don't know if I can do it," I whined to Sean. He groaned as he got up and put his shoes on.

"Where are you going?" I asked. As much as he annoyed me sometimes, I didn't want to be alone right now and I was sure more questions were going to come up.

"I'm going with you," he stated nonchalantly as he walked right past me to the door.

"I, the, you, what?" I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly.

"Not on the date Jasper. To his dorm. I can walk back from there. I'm just going to make sure you don't run away," he told me with a wink. By the time I was able to collect myself he was already out the door.

"Thanks," I whispered quietly as I got in the door, hoping Sean wouldn't actually hear me. But of course, I had no such luck.

"Aww, you're welcome best buddy," he said while doing his best to hug me over the center console. I shoved him off of me and I had to concentrate hard on the thought behind his action to avoid punching him right there.

We had to drive for a few minutes to get to his dorm. Walking is easy because we could just go through the campus, but we had to take the long way around in a car. I was doing my best to calm down while Sean was yelling at me about my lack of music. I usually just turned on the radio and ignored it anyway.

After what seemed like a lifetime but in reality was only about five minutes, I pulled into the parking lot in front of Edward's dorm.

"Ya know Jasper, I'd be more than happy to go with you," Sean said, smirking at me.

"Out. Now."

"Fine, fine, be that way." He rolled his eyes and got out of the car. I stared at the building in front of me and began to make my way toward the door.

"Hey Jasper!"

"What?" I turned to find out what Sean could possibly want.

'Good luck man," he yelled with a wave as he turned to head back to the room.

I took a deep breath and entered the building. I made my way up the stairs, walking as slowly as humanly possible. All too quickly I was in front of his door.

I gave myself a little pep talk, letting myself know that I was stressing way too much over a simple dinner. I knocked on the door and held my breath.

If I hadn't already stopped breathing before knocking, the sight that greeted me would have stopped it for me. I always thought of Edward as good looking but this… the only word that came to mind was "beautiful."

He had on a simple black collared shirt along with light blue jeans. His normally unruly hair was… shorter? He had definitely combed it down but it didn't look as long as I remembered it. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn he was actually glowing.

"Hey Jas," he said as he took my hand and pulled me inside. He closed the door and turned to look at me.

"You… and… haircut," I stammered out as I pointed at his head. I was losing my ability to speak apparently.

"Yes I did get a haircut," Edward said as he chuckled. I could listen to this man's laugh for days without getting bored. It was quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world. Well, my world. He sat down on his bed and patted the side next to him.

I sat down next to him and put my arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. "You look amazing," I whispered as he cuddled into my side.

"So do you," he replied as he brushed his lips against mine before quickly pulling away. I growled at him; I hated when he wouldn't let me kiss him back. He always thought it was funny when I pouted at him afterwards.

"Stop teasing me," I whined at him. I figured maybe I could distract him from this whole date thing. I moved to put my arm back around his shoulder and pull him back.

"Uh uh," he said, quickly getting off the bed. He walked over to the door and watched me expectantly. I smirked as I got up and stalked my way over to him. His breathing stopped short when I laced my fingers with his and pushed them against the door on either side of his head. I couldn't believe that I could have such an effect on someone like him.

I leaned into him and kissed him the way _I _wanted to. But I'm a sneaky bastard and I wanted to play the same game that he was playing. Before he really had a chance to kiss me back, I pulled away but kept his hands pinned to the door.

He whined and used my pouting maneuver but I wasn't gonna let him win this one. I leaned into his neck and bit him softly, nipping at it with my tongue afterwards to relieve the pain. Satisfied with the mark it left, I let go of his hands and stepped back. Looking directly into his eyes, I whispered, "Mine."

Now it was Edward who couldn't speak. He closed his eyes and leaned against the door frame, still breathing heavily. I wrapped my arms around his waist and asked, "Hey babe, ready to go on our date yet?"

He leaned into my chest and said, "Thought you didn't wanna go,"

"I changed my mind. Come on, if we don't leave right now the she-devil who makes the reservations is gonna give our table away."

I opened the door for him and I caught him looking at his neck in the mirror. I chuckled and pushed him out the door.

I had meant it when I told him I changed my mind. I don't know what happened, but during our intimate moment in his room, I realized that I would do anything to make him happy. If he really wanted to go on this date, then fuck it, I was gonna man up and take him.

We walked to my car in a mostly comfortable silence. I was glad he wasn't pushing me to hold his hand or anything just yet.

Just when I thought things were finally going well, we left the building and I saw Sean leaning up against my car. I momentarily considered giving him the death glare but we all know how that would have turned out.

"What do you want Sean?" I did my best not to sound angry at him for existing right now but I don't think I hid it very well.

He held his hands up in surrender and said, "Sorry, left my phone in your car. Took you guys long enough to come out." He smirked when he saw the mark on Edward's neck. Edward blushed and my face might as well have been on fire.

"Well don't be rude! Introduce me already," Sean whined. I had the overwhelming urge to knock him out right there.

"Edward, Sean. Sean, Edward," I muttered out as I opened the door to get his phone. I picked it up off the seat and chucked it at his face, knowing full well that he had left it in there on purpose so he would have an excuse to be here when I came out with Edward.

"Well howdy there, partner," Sean drawled out while tipping his imaginary hat and holding his hand out for Edward. I stared at him and wished that looks really did kill.

"Um, hi," Edward said shyly and shook his hand. I smirked, knowing Edward was only being shy because Sean saw the mark on his neck. Sean winked at Edward and then turned to head back to our room. Edward looked after him with a frown.

"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid that Edward had changed his mind about the date.

"Why'd he wink at me?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that one. "Sean's a natural born flirt. I'm pretty sure that's just how he interacts with people, regardless of who they are.

I opened the door for Edward and let him get in before I walked back around to the driver's seat. The nerves were starting to come back now that I realized our date had technically started.

"Um, I didn't know if you would like them, but I got these," I said, reaching into the back seat to get the flowers, "for you."

His eyes grew wide and I became worried that I had done something wrong. My fear instantly disappeared when he looked up at me and flashed me his incredible smile. "I love them, thank you," he said as he looked back down at the flowers. He added quietly, "No one has ever given me flowers before."

I realized then that while Edward knew that he was my first boyfriend, I didn't know anything about Edward's past relationships. I considered bringing it up, but I decided that I didn't want to know. I wanted to focus on the present. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the restaurant.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" Edward had been asking me nonstop since the day I told him we were going on a date. Okay fine, he actually made me ask him out on a date, but I didn't tell him where we were going. He finally gave up yesterday when I threatened to cancel the whole thing. I wouldn't have, but the empty threat was enough to get him to back off.

"Nope, where would the fun be in that?"

He huffed and turned back to watch the road with a pout. I chuckled and ran the back of my free hand across his cheek. "Don't be like that babe," I told him as I heard his breathing become slightly labored.

Realizing once again the effect I had on him, I pulled my hand back a little too quickly. Edward noticed.

"What's wrong?"

I sighed and decided to be honest with him. "I just can't believe that I can have that kind of effect on someone as amazing as you."

He took my free hand up to his lips and kissed it, and now it was my turn to breathe all funny. "I could say the same to you," he whispered, just barely loud enough for me to hear. I'm not sure I was supposed to hear the next part at all though.

"I love you, Jasper."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I own nothing.**

**~~~~~Continue Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

My knuckles turned white as I gripped on to the steering wheel for dear life. He hadn't just said what I thought he did, did he?

"Jasper?" Edward asked quietly. He was fidgeting in his seat now, clearly uncomfortable.

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. He just told me he… loved me. Was he expecting me to say it back? I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and saw him looking down at his lap, on the verge of tears. I instantly felt the urge to comfort him but I was too caught off guard. This was all happening too fast for me to keep up with.

"Jasper? I'm sorry," Edward whispered. I stayed silent as I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. I cut off the engine and just sat there, desperately trying to get my thoughts in order.

What was I supposed to do now? I wasn't ready to say that back to him. I knew that I cared for him, but I wasn't sure if I could go as far as to say that I loved him. Would he be hurt if I didn't say it back? Of course he would. But I wasn't going to force myself to say it without being sure that I meant it. I just hoped he would understand.

I opened my mouth to say something when Edward cut me off, "I'm sorry Jasper, I don't know what came over me. Can we just forget about it?" It felt bad to hear him pleading with me like that, but I was relieved that he didn't want to dwell on it.

I nodded and moved to get out of the car. I stood for a moment, waiting for him, and it wasn't until he opened the door and got out that I realized I was supposed to open the door for him. Even though we were going to just "forget about it," it still had me pretty shaken up.

I opened the door to the restaurant for him and avoided his gaze as he walked in. The place was upscale, but not too fancy. I practically had to push people aside to get the front desk. I was suddenly glad I had made reservations; the wait here looked like it would be hours.

"Jasper Hale," I told the woman standing over the wait list. I hadn't intended to sound so rude, but I apparently hadn't regained as much of my composure as I thought I had.

The woman looked up at me and gave me a death glare that made a mockery out of my own. I figured this must have been the woman I had spoken to on the phone about the reservations.

I shifted uncomfortably as she motioned to a waiter. With a quick glance over at Edward, I could tell he wasn't any more comfortable with the situation than I was. After a minute of shuffling, the waiter finally managed to gather the various menus and led us to our table. It was in a dimly lit corner of the restaurant, something I would have to remember to thank the woman for.

Thankfully, it wasn't a booth so there were no worries about which side we would sit on. I took my seat and Edward sat down across from me, doing his absolute best to avoid my eyes. I sighed, knowing that if this date was going to be salvaged, I was going to have to be the one do it.

"So, have you ever been here?" I asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

He shook his head. "This place is kind of expensive isn't it?" He sounded too nervous for my liking.

"It's not too bad. Take a look at the menu and see if you find anything you like."

I thought I heard him whisper "I'm already looking at him" but I wasn't sure so I ignored it while I looked through the menu myself. After a minute of looking we had both decided on what we wanted.

The waiter had come and gone and ten minutes later we had barely said two words to each other. I was never good at diffusing an awkward situation so I decided that since my one attempt didn't work, I was out of ideas. I contented myself with absent mindedly sipping on my drink.

His "accidental" touches didn't go unnoticed, but I made no move to reciprocate. I didn't know what kind of game he thought he was playing, but I wasn't going to play it.

"Jasper, I need to talk to you about something," he said, sounding more nervous than anyone in this situation should sound.

"What's up?"

He sighed, opened his mouth to speak, then sighed again. With each passing moment I grew more anxious; what could he possibly want to talk to me about that warranted this kind of behavior?

He cleared his throat and began to speak this time. "Jasper, I know this is new for you, and I know you're trying, but at the rate we're going I don't feel like you're ever going to be comfortable being with me in public." His voice came out in barely a whisper.

What he said wasn't completely unexpected, but I didn't think he would come to me with this so soon. I couldn't even argue with him; I knew he was right. But knowing that someone is right and accepting the fact that they're right are two entirely different things.

"What exactly is it that you want then?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. It was my hopeless attempt to either draw out the conversation or direct it away from the current topic. I knew where this was heading, and I didn't like it one bit.

Louder and clearly angrier this time, he responded, "I want to be able to call you my boyfriend in front of other people! I want to be myself with you in public! I just… I want to be able to hold your hand."

He dropped his gaze and stared at his lap. I listened to every word he said without betraying any sort of emotion, but I was freaking out on the inside.

I didn't want to lose him; no, I _couldn't_ lose him. But at the same time, I wasn't ready to be open about my sexuality.

I sighed and leaned back into my chair. Edward hadn't moved, and I knew he was waiting for my response. The waiter returned and took my now empty glass for a refill.

No matter how you looked at it, he was right on all counts. He had been putting up with my unwillingness to be open with him, and I wasn't making any real effort. I had promised him that I would work on it, but I wasn't even trying. I was too consumed with worry about what people would think if they knew.

I knew I had to start trying though. It wasn't fair of me to expect Edward to just continue on like this forever. Forever? I was beginning to wonder if that was really what I wanted.

I shook my head and tried to focus on the situation at hand. Edward had taken to fiddling with his utensils on the table. Without letting myself think about it, I slowly reached my hand across the table took the utensils out of his hands. I placed them on the table and then gently took his hands in mine.

Edward was now watching our joined hands with wide eyes. My hands were trembling, but the warmth of his hands was slowly calming me down. I managed a small smile at him, and he returned it. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, but I could also see a glimmer of hope.

The waiter returned at that moment with my refill and eyed our hands. With a cocky smile, he murmured, "I thought you two were a couple," before turning to leave.

And I lost it.

I jerked my hands away from his and just stared at the waiter's back as he returned to the kitchen. My face felt like it was on fire and I was struggling to even breathe. I shot up out of my seat, barely managed to drop a couple of twenties on the table, and left the restaurant without so much as a word to Edward.

I got in my car and started it, and then waited. I didn't know what I was waiting for. I just knew I wanted to be anywhere but here.

Barely a minute had passed before I saw Edward exit the restaurant and stand in front of the car, looking at me questioningly. I stared back at him without a hint of emotion on my face. I didn't know what to make of anything right now. What I did know was that he had about ten seconds to get in the car before I left.

As if he sensed this, he got in the car and buckled his seatbelt without a word. I drove back to the campus at nearly double the speed limit and pulled up to his dorm building. Without so much as a glance in his direction, I put the car in park and waited. Again, I wasn't sure what I was waiting for.

"Jasper?" Edward's voice was strained and shaking, and I saw a single tear roll down his cheek.

"Get out," I told him, not caring how cold I sounded right now.

I heard him sniffle before he slowly got out of the car and closed the door. He walked toward the building and stopped at the door, turning to look at me.

The sadness in his eyes was too much for me to handle. I averted my gaze and pulled away from his dorm building. From him.

I parked the car at my building and quickly made my way back to my room. I opened the door and chucked my keys against a wall, not caring where they landed. I sat down in my desk chair and hung my head in my hands.

I didn't know what to make of what happened. I never thought I would react in such a way to someone seeing us holding hands. I thought I was ready for the next step, but it was clear now that I wouldn't. I knew that my behavior tonight had been unacceptable, but it didn't matter now. Edward wouldn't want anything to do with me after that sorry display.

I felt tears rolling down my face, not out of sadness, but frustration. I was fucking pissed off at myself for not being able to handle such a small public display of affection. I was pissed that I ruined our first date, something Edward had wanted so much. I was pissed at how fucking weak I was.

Sean chose that moment to walk in the room. Upon seeing my condition, he instantly ran over and knelt by my side.

"Jasper, hey man what's wrong?" He put his hand on my shoulder and I shook it off, not wanting to talk to anyone. Sean being Sean though didn't let that slide.

He pulled me up by the collar so that I was standing up straight. I tried to jerk out of his grasp to no avail.

"What the fuck happened Jasper?"

At that point it was either punch him or tell him what he wanted to know, and I didn't have the energy to start a fight. So I broke down and told him everything that happened, while he listened without saying a word.

When I was done, I waited for Sean to yell at me for being an idiot. The yelling never came. I sat back in my chair and watched as Sean sat on his bed, staring at the wall.

"Jasper, without thinking, right now, tell me what Edward means to you."

Caught off guard, I quickly regained my composure and did as he asked.

"Well, um, I like being around him and talking to him. He's nice enough to be patient with me while I try to come to terms with myself, or at least he was… I like making him laugh, because I really like to hear him laugh." I got completely caught up in what I was saying that I started to lose track of how long I was talking or who I was even talking to.

"When he's close to me, it's like my problems aren't so bad anymore, that I can get through them as long as he's there with me. I care about him more than I've ever cared about anyone before and I'm scared that I've… lost him now. I mean, he deserves so much better than what I can give him and I proved that tonight by acting like a complete ass just because someone saw us holding hands."

"I can't lose him Sean, he's the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, I lo-" I stopped mid sentence and just stared. Sean smirked at me as realization dawned on my face.

"I think you know what you have to do now," he said, getting up to pat me on the back. I got up and turned to hug him tightly, silently thanking him.

I will deny that if he ever mentions it.

I rushed out the door and ran all the way to Edward's dorm building. Out of breath, I climbed the stairs to his floor and returned my breathing to normal before knocking on the door. The door opened, but it wasn't Edward that opened it.

"Um, hi, is Edward here?" I asked, realizing that this must be his roommate. We had never actually met before."

"Nope, he's been out all day."

Shit. He didn't come back? I thanked him and ran out of the building. I knew it was a long shot, but I could only think of one place that he could have gone to.

Sure enough, I found him sitting against the wall of the building where we had our first kiss. His knees were curled up to his chest and he had his arms around them. His head was down and the light reflected off of his hair as it gently swayed with the breeze.

I walked over and sat down next to him against the wall. He didn't move, but I could tell by his sigh that he knew it was me.

We sat in silence for a while. I didn't know where to start, what to say to fix my mistake. I didn't even know if he even wanted me here right now.

I decided that it was time to lay it all on the line and put everything I had into this one moment. I didn't know if I was ever going to get another.

"Edward, I'm sorry."

He lifted his head and stared straight ahead. I cut him off before he could respond

"I know that an apology isn't nearly enough to make up for what happened, but I'm hoping you'll just hear me out." I silently prayed that he would at least be willing to listen to me.

He nodded slowly, and I sighed, grateful for this chance.

"I've never done this before, Edward. I've never been in a relationship before. I've never been with someone that I care about as much as I care about you. Whenever I'm not with you, I find myself wondering what you're up to. Just seeing you happy is enough to completely brighten my entire day."

I could see tears falling from his beautiful eyes and I was struggling to hold back my own.

"I don't want to lose you, and I know you deserve so much better than me. There isn't any excuse for how I acted tonight. I thought I could handle it but I ran the instant I felt like I was being judged by someone."

"I guess what I want to say is, I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve it, but if you'd give me another chance, I'll do everything in my power to show you how much I care about you. I know it won't be easy, but I want to become the man that you deserve."

He stayed silent for a moment before whispering, "Why?"

"Why what, Edward?" I asked, not understanding his question.

"Why are you saying all this?"

I turned my head to the sidewalk in front of us, watching as some people walked hand in hand. As I looked on, everything that Edward had said to me in the restaurant started to make sense. I thought for a moment, and realized the same thing that I had realized when talking to Sean.

"Because, Edward. I love you."

I heard him gasp, but I was still too stunned by my realization to do anything but continue to stare at the sidewalk.

"J-Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mean that?" I could hear the hope and excitement in his voice, but I could also tell he was being cautious. And after the stunt I pulled today, I couldn't blame him.

I sighed. Not out of nervousness of frustration this time, but sheer contentedness.

"Never in my life have I meant something as much as I did when I said that. I love you, Edward."

I was stunned at the truth behind my own words. I didn't even realize how much I meant it until I told him.

Still staring ahead, I felt him move closer to me and cuddle into my side slightly while still keeping a bit of distance. I wasn't having any of that though. I told him I was going to work to be the man he deserves, and I meant it. I moved my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to me.

In a move that surprised even me, I used my other hand to tilt his head up and I kissed him, right out in the open with people walking by. As I pulled away from the kiss, I chuckled as I saw him staring at me in shock, but also something else. That same something else that I couldn't place before.

But it was so easy to place now. I could see that the look in his eyes was love. I hadn't been able to see it before, but it was so clear now.

"I love you too, Jasper," he whispered, not once removing his eyes from mine.

I pulled him in for another kiss and this time I heard a whistle from someone walking by. I felt Edward tense up but I just smiled into the kiss. When he realized I wasn't going to freak out on him again, he relaxed. As I pulled back, Edward simply watched me with awe as I looked at him.

"What?" I asked, amused by the fact that he thought I would freak out.

"That didn't bother you?" He asked timidly.

"Edward, I was afraid you weren't going to forgive me for what I did today. I put it all on the line for you with the small hope that you would take me back. I'm not gonna fuck it up by caring what some random person thinks. All that matters right now is you."

With that, I wrapped my arm around his shoulder once more and pulled him back into my side. He snuggled against me and at that moment, everything in my universe felt right.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** **I own nothing.**

**Rosalie's PoV**

I was doing my absolute best to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall as Jasper told us his story. Alice however, was letting the tears free fall.

"And then you both got married and lived happily ever after right? Right?!" Alice practically screamed from the seat next to me.

Jasper just chuckled. "Not quite. There were still a few more… bumps in the road."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, day to day life wasn't the easiest thing to get used to, even after I had allowed myself to be open about my relationship with Edward. And then there was the whole meeting the parents thing, that was interesting…"

"That," I stated, clearly expecting both of them to know what I meant.

After they both gave me questioning glances, I cleared my throat and tried again, "Tell us how meeting that parents went."

Jasper looked down for a moment and I could almost see what looked like pain flash across his features before he composed himself and smiled at us.

"This one should be fun," he said as he began recounting the events I asked.

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

I stared at Edward in shock. Sure he didn't just ask me what I think he asked me. I wasn't ready for that. I couldn't do it. Not yet. Not for a long time.

"Come on, Jazz, my parents want to meet you, it's not a big deal," Edward said as he moved closer to me and pulled me into his arms.

The feeling of being so close to him momentarily made me lose my train of thought, but I pushed away from him.

"Edward, of course it's a big deal! I'm not ready to meet your parents yet…" I told him, looking at the ground. I was actually embarrassed. I didn't have the first clue how to act around my boyfriend's parents and I really needed them to like me.

"Okay then… how about you take me to meet your parents?" he asked hopefully.

"No!" I practically yelled. Edward took a startled step backwards but I reached out and pulled him back into me. "I'm sorry babe, I just… I haven't told them yet."

My parents weren't exactly the most open minded people I knew. In fact, I was quite sure they'd disown me the moment I told them that I was gay.

I knew I wasn't being fair to Edward, and as I thought about what happened the last time I wasn't being fair, I decided to compromise. He was silent in my arms for a while so I figured it was now or never.

"How about we meet your parents then?" I asked him quietly, hoping he would forget about meeting mine.

"Really?" he asked, pulled back to look me in the eyes. The smile that graced his face reminded me that I could never really deny him anything.

"Yes really, babe," I told him, as I leaned in for a quick kiss. He pouted when I pulled away as he always did when I teased him, and I just grinned at him. "So when do we leave?"

Edward wasted no time in calling his parents to let them know that he was bringing his "special someone" over, and from the animated voices I could hear from the phone, they seemed to be just as excited as he was.

He decided that we'd go and see them this weekend which gave me all of… not even a day. It was already Thursday and he wanted us to leave right after classes ended tomorrow.

"Are you sure that we should be going so soon?" I asked, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. He wasn't having any of that though.

"Yes, Jazz, we're going tomorrow and you have nothing to worry about! They love you already."

"Fine," I said in mock frustration. I sat on my bed and pulled him into my lap. "Now where were we?" I asked as I kissed his neck. He leaned his head back to give me better access.

"I swear if what I see in there scars me for life, I'm writing up a lawsuit!"

I nearly dropped Edward out of my lap as the door swung open and Sean walked in with his hand over his eyes. Edward chuckled and stood up. "You're good," he said as he pulled Sean's hand off of his eyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Ew gross! Save that for Jasper!" Sean yelled as he flailed his hands in Edward's direction. Edward just grinned at him and when Sean was done mock fighting him, he grinned too.

I loved that my boyfriend and my roommate got along so well. When I think about how much Sean has helped me out, I feel like I couldn't have gotten a better roommate. He really was my best friend.

"Well I'm gonna go pack now! See you later Jazz," Edward practically squealed as he kissed me and pulled away all too soon.

"Now who's the fuckin tease," I grumbled. He gave me a wink and left to go back to his dorm.

"What's he so excited about?" Sean asked as he sat down.

"We're going to meet his parents tomorrow," I told him in a less than excited tone.

"Oh can I come? Pleeeease?"

I stared at him for a moment.

"Wait, actually, he wants to meet my parents too. When we go… would you come with us?"

Sean's expression immediately became serious. He had met my parents a few times and knew all too well that my having a boyfriend wasn't going to go over too well with them.

"Sure man, just let me know when," he replied sincerely.

I once again thanked whatever higher power was responsible for giving me Sean as a roommate.

Friday morning passed far too quickly for my liking and I found myself in Edward's car as he drove us to his house. His family didn't live too far away from campus and before I knew it, we were there. His parents had invited us to stay for the weekend and as much as I didn't want to, Edward had insisted.

We got out of the car and Edward went to the trunk to get our bag. I wondered if his parents would have an issue with us packing all of our stuff in the same bag. Shit, I didn't even know what the sleeping arrangements were going to be like. Edward and I didn't normally sleep together since we each had our own dorms, but I would love to be able to. I figured I would probably get the couch or something.

"Are you okay?" Edward snapped me out of my musings. He had a concerned look on his face and for the first time, I realized that he was probably nervous about introducing me to his parents too.

"I'm fine babe," I told him as I took his hand in mine and kissed him on the forehead. "Come on, your parents are waiting for us."

He visibly relaxed with my words and led me to the door. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door swung open and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen embraced Edward.

"Edward you're home!" she practically wailed and she held on to him with a death grip.

"Yeah mom, I'm finally home after a whole month of not seeing you!" he laughed as he hugged her back.

She pulled back and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you get sarcastic with me young man! A month is a long time for a mother to go without seeing her son." She tried to maintain a serious expression but failed and both she and Edward began laughing.

"Mom," Edward began, reaching for my hand. "This is Jasper."

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," I said nervously as I reached out my hand, not really knowing what to do.

His mother completely ignored my outstretched hand and pulled me into a hug. "Esme will do, dear. I'm so happy to finally meet the man my son has been talking about for the last month!"

"Mom…" Edward whined.

Esme let go of me and turned to face Edward. "Now now, I'm sure he'll take it as a compliment that you bring him up every single time we talk, won't you Jasper?"

"Mom!" Edward yelled, horrified now. He pushed past her into the house, muttering something about never speaking to his mother again.

She simply smiled and motioned for me to come in as well.

I knew Edward's family was well off, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from looking around their house. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't some torn down thing, it was actually a rather nice house. But there wasn't much about it that was extravagant. Edward told me that his parents didn't like to flaunt their wealth, and I could see what he meant. Their house was everything they could want in a home, leaving little to excess.

I tentatively sat down on the couch next to Edward, who was still blushing from his conversation with his mother.

"Jazz, I'm sorry, I mean I do talk to her sometimes, but, I mean, well she's my mom and…" he rambled. I felt bad for him so I leaned in and cut him off with a kiss.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I whispered as I pulled away from him.

Our tender moment was interrupted by a squeal from the other side of the room.

"Oh my goodness you two are just too precious! Would you boys mind doing that again? I just need to find my camera…" Esme murmured as she went up the stairs.

"Mother, you do not need any more pictures of me for that album of yours!" Edward shook his head, but then a look of horror washed across his face as he seemed to have realized something.

"Mom I swear, if you're doing what I think you're doing!" Edward yelled as he ran up the stairs behind her. I looked after him, confused as to whether or not I should follow him, when I heard keys at the front door. After a moment the door unlocked and a man walked in.

As he closed the door behind him, he looked directly at me, confused. After a moment of awkward silence, realization colored his features as he hung his coat.

"You must be Jasper," he said as he greeted me with a warm smile. He walked over and reached his hand out.

"Yes sir," I responded, giving the man a firm handshake.

He chuckled, "Carlisle will do, son."

"Mom I swear I will leave this house right now!" I heard Edward yell as he followed Esme who seemed to be holding a book away from him.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, calm yourself and take a seat on the couch," she told him sternly.

He sighed, defeated, and took his previous seat as he looked down at his lap. I gave him a confused look but he refused to meet my eyes.

"Now Jasper, let's have a look through Edward's photo album shall we?" Esme said gleefully as she pulled me to sit on the couch next to her. I grinned when I realized why Edward was so upset. No one ever wanted their baby pictures out on display. Carlisle simply shook his head and went over to sit on the recliner in the corner of the room.

Half an hour and nearly fifty baby pictures later, I was laughing hysterically as Esme and Carlisle told me the stories behind each picture. Edward looked like he was on the verge of tears so I decided that it was time to cheer him up.

Ignoring the fact that his parents were in the same room, I walked over to where he was sitting and held my hand out for him. He looked at me with confusion but took my hand anyway. I helped him up and pulled him in for a deep kiss, hoping to convey my love and adoration for him.

"Nothing, especially not some picture, is ever going to make me love you less than I already do, Edward," I whispered as I pulled away from him, my arms still around his waist.

"Awww," Esme squealed and I jumped a little, startled out of my own little world. Carlisle smirked as he turned the page of a magazine that I suspected he was only pretending to read.

Edward wrapped his arms around my neck and leaned his head down, whispering, "Thank you, Jasper."

Esme announced that dinner was ready and we fell into steady conversation as we ate. I had expected this to feel like an interrogation but felt completely at ease with Edward and his family.

After dinner, Esme asked if I could help her with the dishes.

"Are you serious mom?" Edward asked. "Jasper's our guest, he shouldn't be helping with the dishes! I'll do it."

"I don't mind, Edward," I told him. I had a feeling that Esme wanted to talk to me in private.

"But Jas-"

I cut him off with a quick kiss. I smirked as I pulled away; that always worked.

Edward pouted but conceded as he joined his father in the living room.

I began drying off the dishes that Esme washed and fell into a comfortable rhythm before she finally sighed.

"Jasper, I don't want you to feel that I'm directing any of these comments at you. I've seen the way Edward acts around you and I can tell that he truly loves you, and that you feel the same way about him."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Edward has had a couple of relationships before. His most recent ended… quite badly." I looked at Esme and saw that she was doing her best to hold back tears. I waited for her to continue though.

"Edward has a tendency to fall hard and fast. The last man he dated… two months into the relationship, Edward was convinced that he was the one. Not long after he discussed that with me, he found out that the man was having an affair behind his back. When Edward found out and confronted him about it, he…"

I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her now, not knowing what to expect next.

"He and the man he was having an affair with beat Edward until he was lying unconscious. They dumped his body out on the street. A passerby called an ambulance and Edward was rushed to the hospital. I thank God every day that he is still with us now."

Tears were now free falling from my own eyes as I held Esme close. A few minutes passed before either one of us was able to speak again.

"Please, Jasper, promise me you'll take care of Edward. Promise me you'll protect him," Esme sobbed against my chest.

"I promise," I whispered, more to myself than to her. "Edward means the world to me. I'll take care of him. I swear."

Edward chose that very moment to walk into the kitchen. "Hey mom, what's taking-," he stopped immediately when he noticed the state we were in. "Mom, you didn't."

Esme sniffed and moved out of my grasp to look at him. "I'm sorry, honey, you know I care about you and I just wanted to-"

Anger flashed across his features. He turned and darted out the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Edward wait!" Esme called after him.

I rushed out of the kitchen and past his father who was standing at the bottom of the stairwell. I sped up the stairs and stopped outside the only closed door on the floor. I heard Edward's sobs coming from the other side of the door. I knocked and waited.

"Edward, it's Jasper. Can I come in?"

I waited for a few moments with no reply.

"Edward, please let me in babe."

Still no reply.

I sighed, not knowing how to get Edward to open the door. I turned and leaned my back against the door and said, "I love you, Edward."

A minute later I heard the lock on the door open and I moved slightly away from it. Edward opened the door and held his hand out for me. I took it and he slowly pulled me inside.

Once he closed and relocked the door, he wrapped his arms around me and continued to cry softly. I pulled him with me to his bed and sat down, pulling him into my lap.

"Edward, why are you crying?" I asked him. I understood that this was obviously a traumatic incident for him, but it didn't really explain his behavior now.

"I was afraid you'd leave," he whispered softly.

"Edward…" I pulled him off my lap and set him down on the bed next to me so I could look at him. "Why would you think I'd leave you?"

He looked down at the bed. "I didn't think you'd want to deal with someone as messed up as I am. I didn't want you to know what happened."

I considered his answer for a moment, but then decided that he wasn't telling me the truth.

"What are you hiding from me?" I asked him.

"I'm not hiding anything from you," he said quietly, still looking at the bed.

I put my hand under his chin and gently lifted his face up so that our eyes were locked. "Tell me," I whispered gently to him.

"I was afraid… you'd think that I wasn't good enough and…" he began crying again before he could finish his sentence.

Realization dawned on me and I pulled him closer. "Edward, you really thought I'd think you weren't good enough and run off to find someone else?"

I'd never taken Edward as the insecure type, but then again, I had never known about his past relationships before. It made sense to me that he might be afraid that I would cheat on him if I found out that someone else did. It made him feel like he had some shortcoming that his previous boyfriend noticed, and that somehow I would notice it too just by becoming aware of the situation.

He didn't answer me, opting instead to just clutch my shirt tighter in his grip.

"Edward… what did I tell you earlier?"

He looked up at me in confusion.

"I told you, nothing would ever make me love you less than I already do. If that fucker cheated on you, then it's his loss. If he were here right now I'd…" I trailed off, not wanting to let my anger at what happened to Edward show.

"What I'm trying to say is, I'm here until you tell me you don't want me anymore. And even then I'd put up a fight."

Edward sighed against my chest, "I'd never tell you I don't want you anymore. I love you Jasper. You're it for me."

As he said it, I realized that it was true. "You're it for me too, babe."

We snuggled up together for a while before I felt Edward yawn.

"It's getting late, you should get to bed," I told him as I got up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, not letting go of my hand.

"Um, well I just assumed I would sleep on the couch or something."

"You don't want to sleep with me?" he asked. He looked so sad that I couldn't bear to deny him anything, but I didn't want to disrespect his parents either.

"Won't your parents…"

I trailed off when he started laughing at me.

"What?"

"Jasper, they _expected_ you to be sleeping here with me."

"Really?" I asked, completely surprised.

"My parents aren't that old fashioned. The 'no sex' rule still applies, but they have no problem with you sleeping in the same bed as me."

I sighed, glad that Edward's parents were so open minded. I didn't want to leave his side, especially after what happened tonight. I slid back into the bed and switched off the bedside lamp.

"Good night Jazz, I love you," Edward murmured sleepily as he cuddled into my side.

"Love you too Edward, always," I whispered before drifting off into a much needed slumber.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews guys! They really do mean a lot!**

**I own nothing.**

**Rosalie's PoV**

I was glad to hear that everything went well with Edward's family, but that still didn't explain the hint of sadness I saw in Jasper earlier. I realized that it must have something to do with his own family.

Alice squealed in the seat next to me and asked for more details about his last story. I decided to leave them to it while I went to talk to one of the service representatives for the airline.

"Excuse me, I'm here waiting for flight 353 to arrive, and it has been delayed for quite a while now. Do you know when it'll be landing?"

The woman at the desk smiled and began typing furiously on her keyboard.

"I'm sorry but it looks like it might still be a while before any planes will be able to land here. The snow has caused quite a bit of backup."

I thanked the woman and returned to the seating area.

"The lady at the desk says that it could still be a while since the snow has really picked up. They have no idea when the plane will be able to land," I told Alice.

"Good! That means more stories!" She was impossible.

Still, I wasn't against hearing more of this man's stories. Sure, they were all sweet and romantic, but it was almost inspiring to hear about the lessons they'd learned over the years.

I remembered my earlier thoughts about his family and decided to ask him to tell us that story next.

"Hey Jasper, can we hear about the time that you introduced him to your family?"

That same hint of sadness appeared on his face for a brief moment before he smiled.

"Well, you see…"

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

It had been almost a month since my weekend at the Cullen residence and Edward and I had gotten closer with each passing day. I was thankful that he hadn't brought up meeting my parents again. Well, until now.

We were sitting on the couch in my dorm room watching a movie. Well, the movie was on while we were engaging in… other activities.

"Come on, Jazz! I really wanna meet them," Edward whined. He moved away from me to sit on the other side of the couch. I wanted to tell him that he just looked adorable when he pouted and folded his arms over his chest, but I decided to let that go for now.

"Edward, I told you, they're… old fashioned. I don't know how they're gonna react when I tell them I'm gay. And it's gonna be even more of a shock if I bring you home to meet them."

Saying they were old fashioned was a huge understatement. My parents were about as closed minded as parents get. Hell, they didn't even approve of interracial marriages.

He sighed and looked at me. His face no longer carried the adorable expression it did before. Now it carried a look of genuine sadness.

"So am I just going to be a secret you keep from your parents for the rest of your life?"

I didn't want him to be a secret from my parents, but at the same time, I didn't want to lose my family. I was almost sure they'd completely disown me if they found out I had a boyfriend.

"Why, of course he'll take you to meet his parents!" Sean said as he waltzed through the door like he owned the place. Rented, whatever.

I quickly turned and gave him my new and improved death glare, but he just rolled his eyes at me. Back to the drawing board…

"No he won't," Edward told him, sounding genuinely upset now. "Jasper won't take me to meet them because he thinks they won't like me."

"Edward," I began as I reached for him. He pulled away and remained on the other side of the couch. "It's not that I think they won't like you. It's just that they won't like our relationship."

"Don't you worry about a thing Edward! You're going to meet his parents this weekend and the two of you will be graced with my presence the whole time!" Sean announced dramatically.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked him, not fully understanding his game.

"We're all going to stay at your parents' house this weekend Jasper. And here I thought you understood plain English…"

I stared at him, still not understanding what he was up to.

"Oh fine, then I'm just going to tell Edward."

"Tell me what?" he asked, obviously interested now.

"Jasper was planning on taking you to meet them all along! I just wanted to be dramatic and announce it, so I made him let me."

"Really?" Edward asked as he turned to me. The look of sheer happiness on his face caught me so off guard that all I was able to do was stammer out, "Um, uh…"

Apparently that was enough for him.

"Thank you Jazz!" he said as he hugged me. He quickly gathered the few things he brought with him to my room and turned to the door. "I'm gonna go pack and get ready! I'll see you later! And thanks Sean!"

I'd never seen him as hyper as he was leaving my room now. I waited for him to close the door before turning to glare at Sean.

"What the fuck was that all about?" I asked him angrily.

"Edward has been asking to meet your parents for months, man," he told me. "If you don't do something about it now then it's only gonna get worse down the line."

"Dude you've met my parents! You know how they are. They'll never accept him," I practically yelled at him.

"You don't want to lose him do you?"

"Of course not!" Now I actually was yelling. "But I don't want to lose my parents either!"

"Then I'll ask you the same question I've asked you several times before," he stated, staring directly at me.

I waited, knowing precisely what he was going to ask me.

"Is he worth it?"

I didn't answer. Not because I had to think about it, but because both Sean and I both knew that the answer to that was a resounding "Fuck yes."

The week passed by all too quickly. I had called my parents after my conversation with Sean and asked them if they would be alright if I brought him and another person to stay with us over the weekend.

Naturally they asked who the third person was, and I just told them that it was a "special someone." They told me they couldn't wait to meet "her."

Sean had offered to drive us to my house since I was way too nervous to even think about driving. I sat in the back seat with Edward, who was still bouncing up and down with excitement.

I decided that the best thing for me to do was to protect Edward throughout all of this, no matter how bad it gets with my parents. Edward was so sure that they'd be fine, but he'd never met them before. Sean seemed optimistic, but he _had_ met them and knew exactly where my anxiety was coming from.

I saw how happy he was now and didn't want to think about how that would change once he met my parents so I just stared out the window during most of the drive. My parents lived a couple hours away from our school's campus so at least I had another hour of mental preparation.

That extra hour ended up doing jack shit for me and I found myself frozen in the car.

"Jazz come on we're here!" Edward said excitedly, urging me to get out of the car. Sean gave me an encouraging nod and I decided that putting this off wasn't going to make it any better.

I prayed that Edward and Sean were right and that I was worrying about nothing.

I got out of the car and slowly started making my way to the front door. My house was nothing like Edward's. My parents were also quite well off, but unlike Edward's parents', they didn't hesitate to show it. It might as well have been a castle.

Edward held his hand out for me to take. I took it in my own and brought it up to my lips. After that, I dropped his hand and as usual, Edward didn't argue with me. He was always able to sense exactly what I needed.

I took one last deep breath and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds my mom opened the door with my dad standing a few feet behind her.

"Welcome home son," she said, pulling me into an embrace.

"Hi mom," I said quietly.

She let go of me and greeted Sean similarly. Once she was done, my dad stepped up and did the same.

Edward stood behind us and when my dad stepped back as well, I knew it was now or never.

"Um, mom, dad? I'd like you to meet… Edward," I told them as I stepped to the side to allow Edward to stand next to me.

My dad looked between the two of us with a confused look on his face. "Jasper, I thought you were bringing home that special girl you told us about."

Edward looked confused and more than a little hurt.

"I said special someone, dad," I clarified, my voice barely above a whisper.

"So your special someone is a boy?" my mom asked.

I cleared my throat and took Edward's hand in mine.

"Yes," was my simple reply.

My parents exchanged looks before my mother sighed. She looked at us with a smile and said, "Well then boys, I'm very glad you came to us."

I was absolutely blown away. I had expected yelling and furniture flying at my confession. Instead, my parents were smiling and telling me that they were glad we came.

Edward smiled at me with his subtle "I told you so" expression.

Sean however, was not smiling. His expression was one of indifference as he followed us into the house.

My parents invited us to sit on their expensive couch while they excused themselves for a minute to grab a couple things from their room. Edward and I sat down while Sean opted to stand next to us. I didn't know what they were going to get so I just relaxed and waited. Edward held my hand while we sat and I was grateful that he wanted to take it slow at my parents' house.

"Hey Sean," I said as my parents left the room. "You alright?"

He nodded but didn't say anything. I shrugged and figured he was just tired from the drive.

A few minutes later, my parents returned with a few books I didn't recognize. At first I thought they might be photo albums and I shuddered slightly as I remembered Edward's horrifying experience with those. When they set them down on the table though, I really became confused.

I saw Sean tense up slightly out of the corner of my eye but ignored it for now.

"Jasper, I'm very happy that you realized you had a problem so soon. I'm proud of you for coming to us for help and bringing us someone who you believed could use the help as well," my mother said, still smiling at us.

Edward and I exchanged confused glances before looking back at my parents.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Your problem," my dad told me, as if I was supposed to understand what that meant.

"What problem?" I asked, emphasizing each syllable.

"Son, don't worry. I understand that it can be difficult struggling with homosexuality, but there is help out there for you," my dad explained, motioning to the books on the table.

I took a closer look at the books and finally started to understand just what was going on here.

"You think," I seethed, "that I have a problem because I fell in love with another man?"

"Now don't call it 'love' dear, that's simply part of your problem," my mother stated calmly. "You see, homosexuality is a mental disease that makes one _think_ that they 'love' someone of the same sex, but that's not truly the case. Now that you've come to us for help, we can make sure that you get the help you need to cure you of this illness."

"It's not an illness," Edward explained.

"I understand that you may think it's perfectly natural young man, but you see, that's also part of the disease."

My head was spinning now. Illness? Disease? My parents weren't glad I came to see them with the man I love; they were glad because they thought I came to them to get help.

"You see, the way your brain functions-" I quickly cut my dad off this time.

"It's _not _an illness, disease, or anything else that's wrong with me," I stated defiantly, doing my best to hold back the tears that were now forming in my eyes.

"I don't understand, son. If you didn't come to us for help, then why did you bring him along?"

I couldn't believe how closed minded my parents really were. I mean, I had always known, but I never expected this from them.

"I came here to introduce you to the man I love and plan to spend the rest of my life with!" I yelled, standing up off of the couch.

I saw Edward look up at me with awe, most likely from the statement that I hadn't even made to him yet. He quickly stood up next to me and took my hand in his.

"Mr. Hale, you must understand that-"

"I'm sorry young man, but I cannot condone the kind of lifestyle that you are attempting to force on my son," my mother said, stopping Edward from finishing his sentence.

"What? He's not forcing anything on me!" I yelled, furious now.

Both of my parents stood at the same time, a look of anger and disgust written clearly across both of their features.

"Are you telling me that I have a faggot for a son? Because that is something I absolutely will not tolerate."

My father's words stung me more than I ever thought they could. The tears I had been holding back slowly starting falling out. I looked at Edward for support, and saw that he was in no better shape than I was right now.

"Now," my father continued, "I'll offer again the services that can help-"

"Enough."

The four of us turned to look at Sean who had remained silent during this entire conversation.

"Sean, you understand don't you? We've met one of your girlfriends before, can't you convince these boys that they need help?" my mother pleaded with him.

"That's something I can't do, Mrs. Hale."

"And why is that?" my father demanded.

"Because if I were to do that, then I would be agreeing with you when you say that there is something wrong with them."

"You think this is _normal_?" my mother exclaimed, practically in tears herself now.

"Who are we to decide what normal is? When I look at these two, I see two people that are in love with each other. Does it really matter that your son is attracted to a man and not a woman? Does that really change who he is?"

"This has nothing to do with who he is," my father explained. "This has to do with a disease he has and his unwillingness to get help."

Sean shook his head and looked at my parents with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"I knew that the two of you were closed minded, but I never once thought that you would turn away your own son because of something so insignificant."

I couldn't believe the way Sean was standing up for me. I had always thought of him as a good friend, but this was on another level entirely.

"Now listen here," my mother began, stepping toward him, "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"Who I _know_ I am," Sean sneered, "is someone who will support Jasper where his parents will not. You see, I don't care who Jasper loves, because that doesn't change who he is. He will _always_ be the loving son that you raised, and I truly hope that one day you'll be able to see that."

"As for now, I will not let him stand here and take this kind of abuse from the people that are supposed to love him unconditionally. Talk to him again when you've figured out what really matters in life."

With that, Sean pulled his keys out of his pocket and motioned for us to leave. I quickly took Edward's hand and lead him out of the house, with Sean closely behind us. My parents were fuming and hadn't moved an inch.

We got in the car and Sean drove to a local park a few streets down. He pulled up to the parking lot and got out of the car. Edward and I watched him as he went to sit on a bench nearby. He dropped his head into his hands and stayed there for a few minutes before we followed him.

"Sean?" I asked as I approached him.

"Huh?" He looked up at us then quickly wiped his face on his shirt and stood up. Not before I could see he was crying though. "Sorry, I just needed some air."

"Sean, I don't even know how to begin to thank you for what you said," I told him sincerely. If he wasn't there with us, I wasn't sure what would have happened.

He shrugged, "All I did was tell them the truth."

I shook my head at his modesty and pulled him into a tight hug. The tears were back in full force as I realized what an amazing friend I had found in him.

I pulled back and Edward hugged and thanked him as well. We stood in silence for a moment before it started raining lightly.

Edward looked up at the darkened sky as he felt the raindrops hit his skin. "I'm sorry Jasper," he whispered.

I gave his hand a squeeze as I said, "You have nothing to be sorry for, babe. My parents are who they are, nothing can change that. But nothing they do or say is going to stop me from loving you as much as I do."

He smiled softly and moved closer to me, wrapping his arms around my neck and laying his head there.

Sean watched the sky intently as well. "Do you think this world will ever be a place where everyone is accepted for who they are? Where people can live freely without fear of being judged?" he asked.

Edward shifted his gaze back toward the sky and I followed.

"I don't know," I answered, "I'd like to hope so, but who can really say what the future will be like? For now, I'm happy to be among the people that do accept me for who I am."

I looked at Sean closely. For the first time, I felt like I was looking at a different Sean than the playful, carefree frat boy that I lived with.

Looking at Sean now, I saw a vulnerable, yet resilient man with wisdom beyond his years. I saw a caring and compassionate person that seemed to truly understand the world around him. And most of all, I saw a loyal friend that I would always be able to count on.

I have never been more proud to call someone my friend.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Trying something different this time around, so it'll be a bit shorter than my usual chapters. Hopefully this will allay some of the fears I read in the reviews.**

**I own nothing.**

_Somewhere high in the skies above Washington…_

**EPOV**

As I reclined further back into my rather uncomfortable airplane chair, I couldn't help but curse the weather for delaying my reunion with Jasper. We hadn't been apart for very long, but if it wasn't for this snow, I could have been wrapped in his arms by now.

From the seat in front of me, I could hear the excited whispers of a man talking to his parents about his upcoming wedding. His parents continued to congratulate him and tell him what a fine woman his wife was.

Their discussion reminded me of the warm reception my parents gave to Jasper, and the rather cold one we received from his parents. The day we met them was not an easy one for me, but it was even more trying for Jasper.

I closed my eyes and let my mind drift back into the memories of that time.

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Edward's PoV~~~~~**

Sean looked at the sky once more as he asked, "Do you think this world will ever be a place where everyone is accepted for who they are? Where people can live freely without fear of being judged?"

I felt Jasper shift to look up and I did the same.

"I don't know," Jasper finally answered, "I'd like to hope so, but who can really say what the future will be like? For now, I'm happy to be among the people that do accept me for who I am."

I hugged Jasper even tighter then, knowing that I was now his only source of support, along with Sean.

The three of us stood quietly in the rain for a few more minutes before I suggested that we start heading back to campus.

Jasper remained quiet for the duration of the trip. He held my hand, but continued to stare out the window. I knew that he needed some time to process the day's events, so I didn't try to engage him in pointless conversation. He would talk to me when he was ready.

When we reached the campus, I walked with Jasper back to his room. Sean said he had some errands to run and that he would join us later. I absolutely adored the man for knowing Jasper well enough to give him the space he needed.

Jasper remained quiet but kept my hand firmly in his as we walked to his room. He opened the door and sat down on his couch, motioning for me to join him.

A few moments later, he pulled out his laptop and started typing furiously.

"Man, they work fast," he murmured a few moments later.

I looked at him questioningly and in response, he gave me his laptop.

I stared at the screen, confused for a moment, but realization dawned on me when I looked over the numbers on the screen. He had opened his bank account balance and transaction history. The most recent transaction was completed just under an hour ago, and transferred almost all of the money out of this account and into another one.

"That was the account that I used to pay for any and all college related expenses," he explained to me. "I wasn't dumb enough to think that my parents would keep supporting me after what just happened, but I didn't know they would act this fast."

I continued to stare at the screen, slowly letting the meaning of this action sink in.

"So that means…" I trailed off, not wanting to bring up the implications.

"After this semester, I won't be able to continue to go to school," he whispered, a single tear trailing down his face.

I set down his laptop and took his hands in mine.

"Jasper, you can't let your parents' bigotry hinder your education. You can take out a student loan for the next semester, I'm sure you'll qualify," I calmly explained.

He shook his head. "The deadline for student loans for next semester passed last month. I'll have to skip the next semester at the very least. And my parents' wealth will undoubtedly be used to question why I need the loan in the first place."

My heart was breaking for him. Not only had he essentially lost his parents, he was also losing the chance at an education because of it. I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Jasper, will you listen to me for a moment?" I asked.

He looked at me and nodded.

"You know my parents are well off. I can easily take care of your expenses until you're on your own feet again. If you won't just take the money, you can think of it as a loan," I told him sincerely. Money was not an issue in my family, and I didn't think my parents would have an issue with me helping him out if I explained the situation to them.

"I can't do that, Edward. I can't possibly take money from you."

"Yes you can Jasper, you're my… partner," I hesitated with the last word, not knowing how he'd react to the word. He didn't seem to mind at all.

"It just wouldn't feel right," he explained, "If I owed money to you, it wouldn't feel like a relationship of equals, and I'm not about to let money mess up the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Before I could respond, he stood up and walked toward the door before turning to look at me.

"I'm sorry Edward, I don't really want to ask you to go, but I need to be alone for a while to think."

It hurt a little that he was asking me to leave, but I completely understood where he was coming from. I gathered my things and gave him a quick kiss before heading to the door.

"Edward?" he called before I had closed the door.

"Yes?"

"Will you come back later?" he asked. I hated to hear the pleading tone in his voice, as if he thought I might say no.

"Of course," I told him. I smiled once more before closing the door.

I wasn't about to waste this time. I had plans to make.

I reached my dorm and quickly pulled out my phone. It rang twice before I heard the voice on the other end pick up.

"Edward? How are you?" my mother asked excitedly.

"Hi mom, I'm fine, but…" I trailed off, not knowing how to start this conversation.

"What's wrong dear?"

I sighed and told her all about the trip to his parents' house, not leaving out a single detail.

"That's absolutely awful! How is Jasper doing? Is he with you now?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm not really sure," I told her. "He asked if I could leave him alone to think for a while, and he wanted me to go see him again later tonight."

"You'll have to help him through this Edward," my mom said. "You're truly his biggest source of support now. And make sure he knows that your father and I will be here to help with anything that he might need."

"Yeah, about that," I began.

"What is it sweetheart? You know you can talk to me about anything."

My parents had set up a bank account for me when I was just a child and had made it clear that the money in there was for me to do with as I pleased. I had never taken advantage of that and remained rather frugal in my spending. But even though they had explained that the money in there was mine, I felt as though I should ask before loaning such a large amount to a friend, even if that friend was Jasper.

I explained Jasper's financial situation and then asked if my parents would be okay with me loaning him the money. I told her that I had already offered to help and that Edward had refused.

My mother's response was slightly unexpected.

"Edward, your father and I are driving up there right this instant. Of course we're okay with you helping him out, you needn't have even asked such a thing! If he won't accept help from you, then maybe he'll listen to your father. We'll be there soon."

Before I could even protest, she hung up the phone. Even if I did think she was overreacting a little bit, I couldn't deny that I was glad to have such understanding parents. Jasper might not be happy about this, but I wasn't going to let him sacrifice his education because of his pride.

My parents arrived half an hour later and we sat in my room discussing Jasper's options for a while. After agreeing on our course of action, I called Jasper to ask if it would be okay to come over now.

"Yeah, please," he replied, and I could hear how strained his voice was.

"I'm gonna bring a couple of people over with me," I told him, intentionally leaving out the identities of the guests.

"Who?" he asked.

"Don't worry, you know them. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I hung up before he could argue and my parents and I left my dorm room. I chuckled to myself when I realized I picked up the habit of hanging up on people before they could respond from my mother.

When he opened to door to let me in, he was absolutely shocked to see my parents there with me. My mom rushed past me and embraced Jasper, a gesture that I was happy to see he responded to in kind.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," he murmured.

My mother was already in tears as she led him to the couch. I closed the door behind me as my father and I walked over to where they were sitting. Jasper looked up at me questioningly and I just smiled at him in return.

"Jasper, we just want you to know that no matter what happens now, you will always have a family in us," my mother told him as she gestured between the three of us.

"Thank you Mrs. Cullen," he whispered before a single tear slipped out and he started sobbing in my mother's embrace. I sat on his nearby bed and my heart swelled as I watched my mother welcome Jasper into our family with open arms.

After Jasper had calmed down a bit, my father asked if he could speak to him privately.

Jasper looked confused but quickly agreed, and I took that as my cue to give the two of them some privacy.

"I'll go get us some snacks," I announced, and took my mother to the nearby convenience store.

My mom and I spoke a bit more about our trip to Jasper's parents' house. We lingered much longer than necessary in the store, as we both knew why my father needed to speak to Jasper without me there.

When we finally returned, Jasper's mood had noticeably improved. He greeted me in a tight embrace that indicated everything was finally going to be okay.

Shortly after our return my parents explained that they needed to leave as my father had to be at work the next morning. I will never understand his decision to take up a career that required working on the weekends.

Jasper and I saw them off and returned to his room. I closed the door and turned around to see him standing in front of me with his arms folded over his chest a smirk on his face.

"Why do I have a feeling you know what your dad and I talked about while you were gone?" he asked.

I shrugged and walked past him to sit on his bed. "Tell me anyway."

He told me that his dad had explained to him that money was not something that should get in the way of the kind of relationship he had with me. As Jasper put it, "he talked some sense into me with this 'dad' voice."

I was glad to see that my dad was able to convince Jasper to accept the money from me. And I may have also been glad because that meant that he would be staying with me here at school.

He sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Thank you… for everything," he murmured into my neck.

I reached up to ruffle his hair, "You don't need to thank me."

"I want to," he said, pulling away so that he could look at me. His eyes were still bloodshot from the day's events.

"Your family accepted me when my own parents immediately disowned me. I can never thank you enough for everything you've done, for staying by my side through all of this," he told me in a strained voice. I could tell that he was once again fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Jasper," I said as I looked directly into his eyes, "You are already a part of this family. My parents love you and already see you as their second son. And as for me… I love you, more than anything or anyone else in the world. You don't ever need to thank for me staying with you, and you never have to worry that I'll ever leave you, because I won't. I love you Jasper."

He buried his face in my neck as he started sobbing quietly again.

"I love you too, Edward."

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**

I realized that a single tear had escaped my eyes and I smiled softly at the memory that still caused me to become emotional.

Since that day, Jasper had always been considered part of our family, and we never let him feel alone. Even during the times that he ached for his parents, he knew that he always had a family in us.

Now, my home was wherever he was, and I didn't have a single doubt that he felt the same way about me.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another chapter in Edward's PoV, because it was much more fun to write that way.**

**I own nothing.**

**Edward's PoV**

As the flight attendant got on the speaker and informed us that it would still be some time before we would be able to land, I once again reclined in my seat and attempted to get some rest. I was never really one for sleeping on a plane though, and soon my memories began flooding back.

**~~~~~Begin Flashback – Edward's PoV~~~~~**

Something was wrong. Very wrong. I hadn't heard from Jasper in over a week now.

I mean, we talked, but our conversations were one sided. I had even resorted to using the _weather_ as a topic of conversation last time we saw each other. He would just nod or give me one word responses. He never called me anymore and when I called him, I would usually end up greeting his voicemail.

Our one year anniversary was just two days away and I didn't even know if we were going to do anything for it. He just seemed so distant.

Sean was unusually useless when I asked him about Jasper. He told me that Jasper's probably just "busy." When I pushed, he told me that he really didn't know what was going on. After that he'd just brush me off or change the subject as a distraction.

I decided that I would bring up our anniversary when I went to see Jasper tonight.

* * *

I knocked on his door, doing my best to calm my nerves while I waited for it to open. When it did, Sean came out and walked past me, murmuring "hey" before walking out of the building. I looked after him curiously, but I had bigger issues to deal with at the moment.

I went inside to see Jasper hastily shutting his laptop. He set it aside and walked over to greet me. "Hey babe," he said, taking my hand and leading me back to the couch.

I decided that beating around the bush wasn't going to get me anywhere.

"So our one year anniversary is on Friday," I told him, hoping he would have something to say about it.

"Is it?" He asked nonchalantly. I did my best to hide my heartbreak at his words, but I must not have been very good at it.

"Hey, hey, calm down, we can go to dinner or something," he said, his eyes moving from me to the TV.

Now not only was I upset, I was angry. How could he act as if this was no big deal? I wasn't one of those people who would insist on an anniversary every week. We had never celebrated one before, but this was the big one!

Something was going on and I was going to figure out what it was. I remembered how quickly he put away his laptop and decided to start from there.

"Hey can I use your computer?" I asked him, reaching out to the table.

"Um, actually there's something wrong with it," he replied, grabbing his laptop before I could reach it.

I eyed him suspiciously. "It'll just take a second," I implored, taking it from his lap.

"No, Edward don't…" he said as he tried to take it back, but I had already opened it. On the log-in screen, it prompted me for a password.

"When did you set a password?" I asked him. He was a very open person, and had even told me one occasion that I was free to use his computer whenever I wanted.

"A while ago," he shrugged.

"Why?"

He shrugged again but otherwise remained silent as he continued to find the TV more interesting than our conversation.

"Well, what is it?"

He gave me a confused look.

"The password. Tell me what it is so I can log in," I explained.

"Edward, it's a password. That's not something I can just go around telling people."

Without a word, I got up and walked to the door. I didn't know what else to say to him. I didn't know what had changed. He'd never hidden anything from me before, and now all of a sudden, he was putting these walls up between us.

I waited for a moment, praying that he would tell me to wait or call me back. But he remained quiet. With tears in my eyes, I opened the door and left his room.

As I exited the building, I came across Sean once more. He walked past me without a word.

"Sean, wait, please," I said as I grabbed his sleeve. He turned his head slightly, but made no move to look at me.

"I need to know what's going on with Jasper."

"I already told you," he sighed, "I don't know what you're talking about. Jasper's fine."

"That's bullshit!" I yelled at him, not caring about the looks we were getting. He cut me off before I could say anything else.

"Look, Edward, don't put me in the middle of your relationship. If you think there's something going on with Jasper, ask him, not me." With that, he pulled out of my weak grasp and entered his dorm building.

I went back to my room and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

Friday afternoon came around and I hadn't made any progress with Jasper. Well, truth be told, I hadn't really tried. I just didn't know what to say to him after what happened last time.

He called to let me know that I should be ready by seven, and I had spent the time since then debating what I was going to do.

I decided that if he continued to act this way throughout dinner tonight, I would end it.

I loved Jasper, more than I thought I could ever love anyone. But I can't deal with him acting so distant and uninterested in me. He hadn't kissed me in weeks, and that was something that he'd do every time he saw me.

I sighed heavily and pushed away those thoughts for now. I focused on getting ready for what was supposed to be one of the most special nights of my life. I had a gift for him, something I'd hoped he would appreciate, but I decided to leave it in my room.

Jasper showed up right on time and knocked on my door. When I opened it, I was floored by the gorgeous man standing in front of me. Even now, he took my breath away just like he did on the night we met.

"Ready to go?" He asked, flashing me that smile that still made me melt. Instead of speaking, I just nodded and took the hand he held out to me.

As we walked to his car, I could tell that something was off. Not off as in the distant way he had been acting for a while, but something else entirely. His hand was practically trembling in mine and I could see the sweat forming on his forehead.

He opened the passenger door for me to get in, but I turned to look at him instead.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Huh? Nothing," he said, gesturing for me to sit.

I shook my head, but did as he asked. I didn't understand why he was lying to me but I knew that we'd be here all night if I tried to get him to crack.

He was silent during the drive but I could still tell that something was very wrong. His hands were still shaking slightly and he appeared to be deep in concentration.

"Will you stop staring at me?" he snapped about five minutes into the drive.

"Sorry," I murmured. I hadn't even realized I was still looking at him.

He sighed. "No, I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

I nodded but otherwise didn't say anything.

When we got to the restaurant, he opened my door and we walked into the restaurant together, but otherwise we didn't say anything.

He informed the woman at the stand that he had made reservations, but to me, he didn't say anything.

We sat at our table and the waiter took our orders. And we still didn't say anything.

When we finally did speak, it was at the same time.

"Edward-"

"Jasper-"

I smiled and looked down at the table.

"You go first," he encouraged.

I cleared my throat before looking him directly in the eyes.

"Jasper, I…" I frowned as I trailed off. This was so much easier in my head.

"Jasper," I started again. "You know I love you, right?"

He nodded and I continued.

"I've been in a few relationships before, but none of them can even compare to what I have with you. I can't see a future for myself that doesn't involve you."

Jasper watched me intently, knowing I wasn't done yet.

"With that said," I swallowed and looked down before continuing, "I think that we should break up."

It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do, and I couldn't look at him while saying it. I felt tears threatening to fall but I willed them to stay in place. I refused to show any weakness.

After I was certain I had myself under control, I looked up to see him looking at me with a blank expression.

"May I ask why?" he inquired quietly, keeping his gaze locked just below my eyes.

I looked away from him then, feeling my emotions beginning to show once more.

"I love you Jasper, but you've been acting so distant lately. Our conversations are mostly me just me talking at you. You don't act affectionate with me anymore. It seems like you're just… not interested in me anymore. I can't… I just can't deal with that."

He simply nodded and stood up. I watched as he walked over to the front desk and spoke with the woman for a couple minutes.

He finally returned and stood next to where I was seated. He held his hand out to me and asked, "Will you come with me?"

"Jasper…" I sighed.

"Please? Just this once."

I looked up at him and I could see the pleading look in his eyes. I took his hand and let him lead me back to the car.

He remained silent on the way back to campus and I didn't attempt to make conversation with him. I had said my piece, and now I was giving him the chance to say his.

He parked his car in a different parking lot than he usually did. He opened my door and wordlessly held his hand out for me. I took it, trying my best not to think about the fact that this would be the last time I would be able to hold his hand.

I looked around, trying to figure out where we were. It was dark out and there weren't many lights along this sidewalk, so it was difficult. But I felt as if I had been here before.

"Edward, you know that I love you, right?" he asked, using the same line I used earlier.

As much as I wanted to deny it, to tell him that I didn't know that, I could still feel it in his touch. I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He let go of my hand, and I slowly walked a few steps further, still trying to figure out why this area felt so familiar to me.

"The way you told me you feel about me… I feel the same way about you. I can't imagine my future without you. I don't want to."

I felt the tears I'd been holding back all day finally breaking free. My back was still to him, and I was thankful that he couldn't see me.

"I don't even know how to begin to apologize for the way I've been acting. I was nervous about tonight and I didn't really realize that I'd been acting so distant."

My eyes had started growing accustomed to the darkness and I was better able to make out the scenery around me. I gasped audibly when I realized exactly where we were. "This is…"

I heard him chuckle behind me.

"This is where you first convinced me that I should give 'us' a try."

"This is where you told me that you were willing to take whatever you could get from me, to give me the space I needed."

"This is where we had our first kiss."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"And this is where… I'd like to ask you one more question."

I heard him shift behind me, but he hadn't asked me anything. I turned around to see what he was doing. The sight before me left me completely and utterly speechless.

Jasper was kneeling on the grass with a small box in his hand

"Edward Cullen," he began, looking directly into my eyes. "You've made me the happiest man alive, and if you'd let me, I'd like to spend every day of the rest of my life returning the favor. Will you marry me?"

Suddenly, everything that had happened over the past few weeks made sense. He had been planning on proposing to me and that's why he had been acting so strange. And I actually told him that I thought we should break up. I wasn't about to make that mistake again.

I practically threw myself into his arms. "Yes, Jasper Hale. I will marry you," I said between sobs. He held me tighter and whispered "thank you," while running his hand through my hair. Once I had calmed down, he pulled away from me.

"May I?" he asked as he held his hand out. I put my hand in his and watched as he slid his ring onto my finger. I couldn't believe it.

I was engaged to the love of my life.

I was engaged to Jasper Hale.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**

* * *

**A/N: Would you guys like to see this chapter from Jasper's PoV?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter contains the events from chapter 8, but in Jasper's PoV.**

**I own nothing.**

**~~~~~Begin Flashback - Jasper's PoV~~~~~**

Our one year anniversary was coming up and I was freaking out. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I didn't even know if Edward wanted me to do anything.

I couldn't even hold a half decent conversation with him. Whenever I was around him my thoughts would drift back to the fact that I had NOTHING planned for it.

"Sean you're no help at all!" I yelled after his latest ridiculous suggestion. This time he thought it would be a good idea for me to take him scuba diving to find Atlantis.

"Just ask him to marry you then," Sean told me with a wink.

I opened my mouth to give him a sarcastic reply but the words got caught in my throat.

Ask him to marry me? That wasn't something I had even given serious thought to. And yet… when I heard Sean say it, even if he was joking, it just sounded… right.

"I'll do it."

"Wait a minute. I was kidding," Sean said quickly, giving me a curious look.

"I'm not."

* * *

After the conversation I had with Sean, I wanted nothing more than to be alone to sort out my thoughts. I aimlessly wandered around campus and tried to make sense of what I was feeling.

I loved Edward. That much was a given. Did I love him enough to want to marry him? The first answer that came to mind was a resounding "yes." But I know that something like this needed to be thought over first.

Well I thought over it and I couldn't really see how this was a bad idea. I was sure of my feelings for Edward and I was sure of his feelings for me. Sure, we were still in college, but that just didn't seem to matter.

* * *

A couple weeks after my discussion with Sean, I had no doubts left in my mind that this was what I wanted to do. I sat down in my dorm room and pulled out my laptop to look up some information on engagement rings. I didn't have the slightest clue what I was doing here, so a little research couldn't possibly hurt.

A few hours and absolutely no progress later, Sean returned from his last class of the day. He walked around me and took a look at my computer screen.

"Wow, so you're really gonna do this?" he asked.

"Did you know that rings have sizes?" I blurted out. This was news to me. I just kind of assumed that rings were a one size fits all kind of deal.

"Yes, Jasper I did. Did you know they also come in different colors?"

I shot him a dirty look, but only held it for a moment. I had accepted long ago that my glares were meaningless.

"I don't know what kind to get him," I admitted to Sean. I don't know what made me think that he was going to be any help to me right now, but I was lost.

"Does it matter?"

I eyed him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Rings are nice and all, and I know I'm probably going to sound like a cliché, but it really is the thought behind something like a proposal that matters. Edward isn't going to care what the ring looks like. He probably won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

I looked back at my screen and blushed slightly. I had almost completely wrapped my head around the fact that rings actually do come in different sizes when Sean spoke again.

"You really should stop avoiding Edward so much."

"Huh?" I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"Come on Jasper," Sean said, taking a seat on his bed. "You've been acting distant with him and I'm not the only one who has noticed. He's constantly asking me if there's something wrong with you."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I think you're both just overreacting."

Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"Whatever you say, man. I'm not going to lie to him for you though. And I don't think he's gonna like it very much if we both start avoiding him."

I shrugged him off as he went to answer the door. I heard him greet someone before I heard footsteps coming toward me. As I looked up and saw Edward, I momentarily panicked. There was no way I could let him see what was on my computer just yet. I quickly closed my laptop and set it on my desk before getting up to greet Edward.

"Hey babe," I said as I led him back to the couch I was sitting on.

"So our one year anniversary is on Friday," he replied, as if that was the most natural response to my greeting.

I did my best not to smile at the thought. "Is it?" I asked, hoping to not to sound too excited about it. He almost seemed upset about my answer so I backtracked a little, hoping to placate him.

"Hey, hey, calm down, we can go to dinner or something," I said, looking at the TV now.

He didn't say anything after that, though I did notice him eyeing my computer.

"Hey, can I use your computer?" he asked suddenly, reaching out to get it.

"Um, actually there's something wrong with it," I told him before quickly grabbing it myself. I hated lying to him, but I couldn't let him figure out what I was planning.

"It'll just take a second," he argued. He pulled the computer away from me before I could react.

"No Edward don't," I said as I moved to take the laptop back from him. But before I could get to it, he had already opened it and was staring intently at the log in prompt.

"When did you set a password?" he asked.

"A while ago," I responded. At least that wasn't a lie. Sean had gotten into my computer one too many times for my liking, and I'm not about to discuss his reasons for doing so.

"Well, what is it?" Edward asked, still staring at the screen.

I looked at him and pretended I had no idea what he was talking about.

"The password. Tell me what it is so I can log in," he explained.

"Edward, it's a password. That's not something I can just go around telling people," I told him, hoping that my explanation was sufficient.

At that moment, Edward practically jumped up off the sofa and headed to the door. He didn't say one word to me as he left.

I apparently hadn't grasped just how angry he was with me. I kept waiting for him to come back, and I jumped up to apologize when I heard the door open.

Unfortunately, it was just Sean. He walked past me and shook his head.

"He's mad."

"I know," I sighed. I hoped that I wouldn't ruin his mood anymore before our anniversary dinner.

Friday had arrived in the blink of an eye and Edward and I hadn't spoken much. I was looking forward to tonight just as much as I was dreading it. It apparently hadn't occurred to me until I was parked at his dorm building that he might actually say no. I realized that it was definitely a possibility, and suddenly I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life.

I tried to calm myself as I walked to his room, but I had limited success. I knocked on his door and tried once again to get my breathing back to normal.

When the door finally opened and I saw the beautiful man standing in front of me, all of my fears were forgotten and he was the only thing in my universe at that moment.

"Ready to go?" I asked him after finally composing myself. I held out my hand to him and he simply nodded before taking it.

We walked hand in hand to my car and even though I did my best to focus only on him, I could feel the nerves and doubt returning to me. What if he said no? Where would that leave us? I didn't want to think about it, but it seemed as if that was the only thought my brain was capable of.

I opened the passenger door and waited for Edward to get in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, catching me off guard.

"Huh? Nothing," I responded, and gestured once more for him to sit. I was desperately hoping that he wasn't catching on to my nervousness.

He shook his head but took his seat anyway, and I walked around the car to get into my own. I pulled out of the parking lot and started heading toward the restaurant.

I was thankful that Edward didn't try to talk to me during the drive. I probably wouldn't have been able to focus on the conversation anyway. He did keep glancing at me though. I tried to ignore it but after his last "glance" still hadn't ended, I'd had enough.

"Will you stop staring at me?" I snapped at him.

"Sorry," he said quietly, turning his head away.

I immediately felt bad about using that tone with him. I knew he didn't deserve it.

"No, I'm sorry," I told him, hoping that he knew I meant it. He nodded but didn't respond.

The rest of the drive there was spent in complete silence. Even as we got out of the car and I spoke to the woman about our reservations, he didn't say a word. I was starting to get worried when he still hadn't said anything after the waiter took our orders.

"Edward-"

"Jasper-" he said at the same time.

Edward smiled and shyly looked down at the table.

"You go first," I encouraged.

He waited a moment and then looked directly in my eyes.

"Jasper, I…" he frowned. He paused again as he collected his thoughts.

"Jasper, you know I love you, right?"

I nodded, definitely not liking the direction that this conversation was heading in.

"I've been in a few relationships before, but none of them an even compare to what I have with you. I can't see a future for myself that doesn't involve you."

I wanted so smile at that, but I still had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"With that said," he paused and looked down at the table, "I think that we should break up."

Surely I couldn't have heard him right. I knew from his tone that this probably wasn't going to be a good conversation, but… he actually wanted to break up with me? On the very night that I was going to propose to him?

"May I ask why?" I inquired quietly, looking anywhere but his eyes.

"I love you Jasper," he said, looking away, "but you've been acting so distant lately. Our conversations are mostly me just talking at you. You don't act affectionate with me anymore. Is seems like you're just… not interested in me anymore. I can't… I just can't deal with that."

Damn. Sean was right after all. I made a mental note to listen to him in the future. The man was a genius.

I nodded and got out of my seat. I settled the bill with the woman at the front desk as quickly as possible and returned to Edward, hoping against all hope that he would give me one last chance.

"Will you come with me?" I asked, holding my hand out for him to take.

"Jasper…" he began.

"Please? Just this once." I didn't care that I was practically begging, I needed him to understand.

He looked up at me and finally held his hand out to mine. I felt the same spark that I felt the day we met, and I knew that I would find a way to fix this, no matter what.

I lead him to my car and the drive back was made in silence. I knew that Edward was giving me my chance to speak, and at that moment I was grateful he knew me so well.

I pulled into the once place that I knew would give me some level of calm. I parked the car and held my hand out to Edward as I opened his door. He reluctantly took it and I could tell that he was trying to figure out where we were.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before I decided it was now or never.

"Edward, you know I love you, right?" I asked. I decided to use his words from earlier.

He nodded and at that moment, I let go of his hand. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears if I was looking at him, so I stood still as he walked a few steps ahead of me.

"The way you told me you feel about me… I feel the same way about you. I can't imagine my future without you. I don't want to."

Edward didn't respond, so I continued.

"I don't even know how to begin to apologize for the way I've been acting. I was nervous about tonight and I didn't really realize that I'd been acting so distant."

I watched as Edward looked around curiously before gasping. "This is…"

I chuckled at his realization.

"This is where you first convinced me that I should give 'us' a try."

I pulled the velvet box out of my pocket and stared at it as I spoke.

"This is where you told me that you were willing to take whatever you could get from me; to give me the space I needed."

I quietly flipped the box open to draw strength from the ring that I hoped would be Edward's.

"This is where we had our first kiss."

I took a step closer to him.

"And this is where… I'd like to ask you one more question."

I knelt on the ground and held out the box to him, waiting for him to turn around. When he finally did, I could tell that he was at a loss for words.

"Edward Cullen," I began, looking directly into his eyes, "you've made me the happiest man alive, and if you'd let me, I'd like to spend every day of the rest of my life returning the favor. Will you marry me?"

I held my breath as I watched a number of emotions wash over his face.

After what seemed like an eternity, he threw himself into my arms.

"Yes, Jasper Hale, I will marry you," he said, his voice muffled against my chest.

I instinctively pulled him closer to me and whispered "thank you" into his hair. I held him until I felt his breathing return to normal.

"May I?" I asked as I held my hand out to him. He put his hand on mine and I used my free hand to slide the ring onto his finger, silently thanking every deity I could think of that the ring actually fit him.

And that's when the realization finally hit me.

I was engaged to the love of my life.

I was engaged to Edward Cullen.

**~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~**

**A/N: The next chapter will most likely be the last one.**


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